Wonderful Wonderland
by Girl For Spring
Summary: (No sequel or prequel to my other story) About seven years after the Hightopp clan was destroyed and Tarrant has to raise his daughter all on his own. Cailin Hightopp, his daughter, is forbade to ever leave their dominion. But something occurs where Cailin runs away. Her adventure awaits.
1. Little Cailin

**A/N: This is not a sequel or prequel to my other story. It is completely fresh and unrelated. And I own nothing from Alice in Wonderland.**

**Intro**

In a lonely cottage, in the land of Snud, between Marmoreal and Witzend, lived a father and his daughter.

The father was a hatter, who had taken up raising his child all on his own once his wife died on the Horenvendoush day, eight years before. His name was Tarrant.

The daughter, who was a seven year old, spunky and bright little girl, never even got a chance to know her mother. Her name was Cailin.

All though Tarrant and Cailin were very close to each other, as far as a good relationship, there were still some things that Tarrant did wrong. He was overly protective, sometimes moody, unjust, and un-understanding. But is was hard, being a parent all on his own, without any experience, and being so young at that. He did not have his loving wife to take the ride of learning to be a parent with. And just the sadness of losing his wife only two weeks after their child was born, was a scar never to heal completely. That was a large portion of the problem.

...

Cailin stepped out of the cottage one fresh, early spring morning. She smelled the air. It was clean and delicious. "Oh, what a lovely morning!" she said.

She looked down at the pathway toward the mail box. She knew her father was still asleep, so she walked out on the trail.

The birds were tweeting and the gees were calling. It was that time of year, that the birds returned from their winter home. One bird came and landed on Cailin's shoulder. "Hello, bird!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, Little Girl," said the bird.

"Have you enjoyed your trip back home?"

"Yes, very. Only not during the rain. But it is always worth it, once I am back here at Snud."

Cailin giggled. "Well, do you want something to eat?"

"Oh, please? That would be wonderful!"

"Well, then," Cailin looked back at the cottage. Then she walked, with the bird, quietly to the porch. She opened the door. Still no sign of her father being awake. Cailin looked at the bird. "Shhhh..." she said.

The bird remained silent. Cailin tip toed into the kitchen. Then she climbed up to the cupboard. She opened it, and reached for a bag wheat. Then she took some into her hand and held it out to the bird. "Here you are," she whispered.

"Thank you, most kindly," the bird whispered back, and she began nipping at the wheat with her beak.

When the bird had finished, the two walked back out the the lively world. "So, what is your name?" Cailin asked.

"My name is Bonnie," the bird said. "And you?"

"Cailin is my name," she said, with a smile.

"Cailin. What a pretty name."

"Thank you! So is yours!"

"Do you want to come to the creek with me? There are some deer down there. They would love to meat you, Lovely Girl."

Cailin hesitated. She looked back at the cottage to see if her father was awake yet. There was no sign of him, but she knew that he would never permit that. "Um...I don't think my father will let me..." she said.

The bird looked at the woods that lead to the creek. "Are you sure? It is not far," she said.

"Well,..." Cailin looked toward the woods too. She really wanted to go, but she did not want to disobey, nor did she want to make her father angry. "Maybe,...some other time...But I don't think I will be allowed."

"Could you ask your pap to come with you?"

"I suppose I could, but I don't think he would really want to."

"Why not?"

"He never wants to leave the cottage. He only leaves sometimes, to get things from the market and have tea parties with his friends. But not very often."

Just then, there was a voice behind them. "Cailin!"

Cailin, startled, looked back to find her father standing on the porch.

"Cailin, what are you doing out here?" he said, with an urgency in his voice.

"I wasn't going to leave, Father! I just wanted to walk around! The morning was so beautiful! I wanted to be a part of it!" Cailin said, in a panicked voice.

Tarrant was upset. Not angry, just upset. He understood why his daughter wanted to go out, but he happened to not approve of it. On the other hand, he knew it was ridiculous to not _approve_ of it. Which was why he was not going to be so hard on her. After all, she was only in the yard.

Tarrant rubbed his face, tiredly. "Cailin..." he said, in a tired tone. "Just...stay close by. And next time, tell me when you are going to go out side."

"But, you were asleep, Father."

"I don't care. Wake me up, but I need to know when you are out side."

"Okay..." she said quietly.

"Good girl," he said. Then he turned and went back into the cottage.

Cailin was sad. The bird was too. "Why doesn't he want you to leave? It's not like you are never coming back," the bird said.

Cailin sighed. "I don't know. He never lets me do anything," she said, in a disappointed tone.

"Sorry about that. It must get awfully boring not being allowed to do anything."

Cailin shook her head 'yes.' The expression of upset, was all over her face. "Maybe when I am eight he will let me..." she said, in a hopeful tone.

"Let's hope that."

Just then, the cottage door opened again. Tarrant came out once again. "Cailin!" he called.

She looked back. "Yes, Father?"

"Uh...why don't you come inside now...? It might rain..." he said, in an unsure tone.

Cailin looked at the sky. There was not a cloud in sight, and the sun was shining brightly. "But, it doesn't look like it will rain..." she said sadly.

"Well, I know it looks like that, Darling. But in Underland, you never know. It can be sunshine one moment and storming the next."

Cailin sighed. She began walking toward the cottage sadly. "Good bye, Bonnie," she said.

"Good bye, Cailin. I will come see you again," she assured.

"You will?" Cailin's face lit up.

"Yes, of course!"

"Oh, Good! I would love that! Maybe tomorrow?"

"Maybe. I will ask my parents. I am sure they will let me."

"Come, Cailin," Tarrant said.

Cailin continued back to the cottage. "Good bye!" she called.

"Tootleoo!" called the bird, and she flew away.

...

Cailin walked back inside the cottage. She went up to her lonely room, and looked out the window. She saw birds flying from tree to tree. Squirrels chasing one another and rabbits hopping along.

How Cailin wished that she could be a part of all the happy life out side. How she wanted to lay in the fresh green grass, and pick pretty flowers. She wanted to skip with the deer, and hop with the bunnies.

What a shame that she missed out.


	2. A Sad Situation

Cailin stayed up in her room all morning. She was drawing a picture of a pretty land, with large mushrooms and large flowers. She had been told briefly by her father that this land did exist. How Cailin wished greatly that she could see it.

"I wonder just how tall the mushrooms are," she said, kicking her legs in the air, as she lay on her stomach across her floor.

"I wonder what the talking flowers are like...I wonder if they're nice," Cailin thought.

Cailin thought vary long on the mushroom forest. "If I ever go to the mushroom forest, I will climb onto the mushrooms, and bounce from one mushroom to the other. I wonder if they bounce..." she thought. "I wonder if I will ever go to the mushroom forest..."

She looked back at her door. Then she decided to go ask her father if he would ever take her. She walked down the stairs to find her father. She walked into the living room. He was not there.

Then she walked into the kitchen, and he was not there ether.

"Father!" she called. Then she looked out the window. Tarrant was out in the garden working. "Oh, there he is!" she said.

Then she rushed out side. Once she reached the garden, she climbed over the fence and ran to her father.

Tarrant looked up from hoeing the ground. "Hello, My Dear," he said.

"Hello, Father," Cailin said, a little expectantly.

"Do you need anything?"

"Well..."

Tarrant smiled at his daughter. "What is it?"

"I was wondering, Father...Have you ever been to the Mushroom forest?"

"The Mushroom Forest? No, I have never been there. It is quite dangerous you know?"

Cailin's face fell. "Why is it dangerous?"

"Because, all of Underland is dangerous," Tarrant assured her.

"Why, Father?"

"Because, unfortunately..." he hesitated, "Our leader is a very bad leader."

"The Red Queen?"

Tarrant turned his face a little. His mood changed to a melancholy sadness. "Yes..." he said quietly.

Cailin dropped the subject right away. She knew that her father always got very upset, whenever the Red Queen was mentioned. Cailin did not even know the full reason why. Her father never talked on the subject at all. She knew very little about the clan that she had come from, her cousin's, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, she didn't even know about the mother that she had come from.

Tarrant would answer any of Cailin's questions, but she knew not to talk about it to him. It just made him too upset.

Cailin kicked the ground that she stood on, with her toe. "So...can I help you?" she said.

Tarrant looked around. "Well, I suppose you can weed the carrot patch," he said.

Cailin walked over to the carrot patch. She knelt down and began weeding the area. As she picked the weeds, she began to feel sad. She wished that she had a chance to know her clan, her family, and most of all, her mother. She also wished that her father's life was a happier place for him. All though he was always loving and caring to her, there was always a hint of sadness in his presence.

...

At night time, Cailin was about to get into bed. She had just gotten into her night gown, and brushed her long red locks. She was climbing into bed, when there was a knock on her door. She looked up to see that her father had entered.

She smiled when she saw him. "Hello, Father."

"Hello, Sweet Heart," he said, and he sat by her side. He rubbed her leg under the blanket. "How was your day?"

"Oh...fine..."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You seem like you have something on your mind. Do you want to ask me something?"

Cailin did want to ask him something, but she knew that he would be upset if she did. She wanted to ask about what her mother was like, but she wouldn't dare. "No...Nothing."

"You can ask me anything, you know?"

She smiled a little, looking down. "No, Father. I don't have anything to ask."

"Well, okay, then," he said, giving a small chuckle. He rubbed her soft cheek.

Then Tarrant spotted the picture of the Mushroom forest on Cailin's floor. He picked it up and admired it. "That's beautiful, Cailin," he said.

"Oh, thank you," she said, bashfully.

"So...why are you suddenly so interested in the Mushroom Forest?"

"It looks quite lovely," she said.

"Oh?"

"I wish I could visit it some time. Father?" she asked.

"Yes, Dear?"

"Will Underland ever be safe?"

Tarrant looked at her seriously. He was silent for a moment. "I certainly hope so..." he finally said.

"When?"

He shook his head. "I don't know..." he said sadly.

"Do you think that we will live to see the Frabjous Day?"

"I do hope so, My Dear. I pray every day that one day, we will be free."

Cailin smiled at him. "I believe that we will," she said.

He smiled back at her. "Well, you know what? You are probably right," he said, and he kissed her on the fore head. "Good night, Dear."

"Good night, Father," she said, hugging him.

Then Tarrant got up, and he went to the door. He blew her one last kiss before leaving the room. Then he stepped out and shut the door.

...

Tarrant went to his bedroom. He pulled a box out from under his bed and began shuffling through it. Then he pulled out a picture with a frame around it. Every night he took this picture out. It was a small picture, and simple. But it was perfect. It was a picture of Tarrant's beloved wife.

She stood, standing next to a large cherry tree. Her long curly hair styled into a simple pull back. She smiled with the sunlight in her face. Happiness shone upon her face as well, as she held on tightly to her new born, little baby, Cailin.

Tarrant smiled through tears, as he looked at the picture. He rubbed it gently with his fingertips. "Good night, Kila," he said, in a shaky voice. "I love you..." he whispered. He kissed the picture. Then he looked at it for a few more minutes, before setting it back into it's box, and putting it away.

Then he climbed into his lonely bed and pulled up the covers. When he fell asleep, he dreamed of Kila.


	3. The Naughty Little Mouse

It was late morning. There was a knock on the door of the Hightopp cottage. Tarrant opened the door to find a frog messenger there.

"Are you Tarrant Hightopp?" the frog said.

"Yes, can I help you?" Tarrant said.

"You have received a message from the queen of Marmoreal. She has asked you to accompany her during a conference," the frog said, handing out the message to Tarrant.

Tarrant looked over it. "A conference for what?" he asked.

"A conference to discuss the plans of our Underland's freedom," the frog said, wisely.

Tarrant was silent. He knew, that the White Queen knew that he never left his cottage. "This must be a mistake..."

"No, Mr. Hightopp. It is not. She wants you to be at her conference tonight. She will send a carriage if you accept. Your daughter may come too"

Tarrant hesitated. He did not want to bring his daughter all the way to Marmoreal. He got jittery at just the feeling of taking her out of the cottage. "Why must the queen have me there?"

"She knows you have potential. She knows you have no love for the Red Queen as well."

Tarrant got chills at that name. He knew that it must be a very important conference to attend to, but how important was it compared to his daughter? Tarrant thought for a moment. He realized that the best idea would be to attend to the conference, but he didn't know what to do with his daughter.

He most certainly did not want to leave her home, but he could only think that was the best choice. "All right, Mr. Messenger. Let me think about it. I will get word to you."

"Very well. If you decide on doing it, your carriage will be waiting for you."

"Thank you," Tarrant said, and he shut the door. His mind was racing. It was a large decision to make. He assumed that the safest place for his daughter, was at home with all the windows and doors locked.

...

After some long thinking he decided that, that was what he was going to do. He walked up to Cailin's room and knocked on the door. Then he entered.

"Hello, Father," Cailin said. She was occupied with a little heart pillow, that she was almost done sewing together.

"Hello, Cailin." He sat beside her. "Look, Dear...I have a very important meeting to attend...and I will be gone tonight."

"Where are you going?" Cailin asked in an excited tone.

"To the White Queen's land, Marmoreal."

"The castle?!" Cailin said excited.

Tarrant shook his head.

"Oh, Father...Can I go with you? I always wanted to see what the white queen's castle would be like!"

Tarrant was silent. He knew that Cailin would be excited if he told her where he was going, and he didn't want to tell her 'no' ether. "Cailin..." he sighed. "You know that Underland is dangerous...I have told you that many times..." he said, in a troubled voice.

Cailin's head lowered, and she was sad. "Yes, Father," she said sadly.

"But,...you see? This meeting is very important. It might make us all free forever..."

Cailin's face lit up again. "So you will be a hero?!"

Tarrant chuckled a little. "Well,...not me...I don't know. I can't really know anything yet. But I am doing this, because I have to. Not because I want to."

"Oh..." she said.

Tarrant rubbed his hand on her cheek. "Well, Dear, I want you to stay here. I am going to lock all the doors and windows. So don't go out side, all right?"

"Yes, Father," she said sadly.

"Don't worry, Dear. Some day we will live the way we were meant to. Then I will take you everywhere. But Underland is filled with Red Nights, guards, and solderers. And...I don't know what I would do if I lost you...So you stay in side, and if anyone comes to the door, do not open it. Act like you are not here." Tarrant started to get nervous.

"All right, Father," she said, sadly.

"Good Girl..." he said quietly, and he stroked her cheek. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. "I will be back, Dearest."

"All right."

"Don't be afraid."

She was silent for a moment. She had not given much thought to the fact that she would be all alone in the house. Suddenly, it did scare her.

"Cailin, trust me. There is no safer place, then here," Tarrant said, gently.

"All right, Father."

He gave her one last hug and kiss good bye, and then he left. He left the lonely cottage in the woods.

...

Cailin did not know what to do in the cottage, all alone. She felt a little scared, in fact.

She stepped down the steps, and went into the kitchen. She was hungry and wanted to find something to eat.

Then all the sudden, she heard something. It was in the house, in the kitchen. Cailin froze. "Who's there...?" she asked fearfully.

There was no answer. But Cailin heard it again. This time, it sounded like it was coming from the cookie jar. Cailin stared at the cookie jar for a couple of minutes, waiting for whatever it was in there, to come out.

After about three minutes, it still had not come, but it sounded like it was eating the cookies.

Cailin went over to the cookie jar, and quietly, slowly opened it. She peeked in, to find that a little mouse, wearing and cute, pink dress was in there. The mouse was munching on the cookies.

Cailin gasped. "You Thief! How could you just invite yourself in, and eat all of our cookies?!"

The mouse looked up. "Calm down. I've been waiting years for your daddy to leave you all alone, so that I can eat whatever I please."

"Well, I am still here, you know?" Cailin said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes, I can see that. But you're a little girl. You wont hurt me. I know it!"

"Mouse, go home!"

"Oh, come on, Girly. You are all alone at home."

"So what?"

"Well, you must be bored, scared, upset...all kinds of things. I can play with you, keep you company, and make sure that everything will be okay."

Cailin thought for a moment. She realized that the mouse could _at least_ keep her company. "Well...okay then. What do you want to do?"

"Well, first of all, I want to eat these cookies. Then after that..." The mouse scratched her head in thought. "Let's go exploring!"

"Exploring? What do you mean?"

"Oh, never mind that. I'll get to it later. But first, let me eat these cookies," the mouse said. munching on a cookie at the moment. "Mmm, mmm, mmm! You sure do make good cookies!"

"Oh,...actually...my father made them."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm! Your daddy sure does makes good cookies!" The mouse munched on many, many cookies. Soon, there where only three left.

Cailin gasped, when she saw how many were taken up. "Oh, you Pig! You ate all the cookies!"

The mouse looked at Cailin, while licking her lips, and fingers. "No I didn't you Dimwit! There are still three left!"

Cailin gaped at the mouse.

"Oh, never mind!" the mouse said, and she hopped out of the cookie jar. Then she dashed up the stairs.

"Hey, Mouse! Wait, where are you going?!" Cailin yelled, and she ran after her. She followed the mouse all the way up the steps, into her father's room. She found the mouse's tail, sticking out from under the bed. "Mouse! You can't be in here! It's my father's room!"

The mouse was not paying any attention. She was too busy, looking at Tarrant's trinkets and other belongings. "Ooo! Look at this! Oh - this is lovely...Oh, interesting...Oh, my...lookie!" the mouse was mumbling to herself.

"Mouse!" Cailin pulled on the mouse's tail, and dragged her out from under the bed.

"What?!" the mouse said, with a temper. Cailin saw that the mouse was wearing a crown on her head...or, at least it _looked_ like a crown.

"What is that?" Cailin asked, pointing to the crown.

"It's my crown! Don't I look just gorgeous?" The mouse curtsied.

"Give that to me!" Cailin snatched the 'crown' off the mouse's head.

"Spoil Sport," the mouse said, rolling her eyes.

Cailin looked at the little 'crown.' She could see now, that it was a gold ring. She could see that, there were letters engraved into it. Cailin walked into the light, so she could read what the letters said.

As she set the ring into the light, she read, 'My Love Forever.' The words were written in beautiful cursive. "Oh, my...This must be Father's wedding ring. I didn't know he had one..." Cailin said.

"Your father's _bedding wing_?! What in Underland is a _bedding wing_?!" the mouse spat.

"Wedding ring!" Cailin snapped. Then she looked back down at it. She ran her finger along the letters. "I wonder if Mother made this for him..." she said.

"Your mother, what? Girl, you need to stop talking to yourself!"

"You need to get your rude self out of our cottage! Now where did you find this ring?!" Cailin said.

The mouse ran under the bed again. Then she pushed a large box out. "It was in this box," she said.

Cailin knelt beside the box. She saw that there were many other things in the box as well. She knew that she was probably not supposed to be looking at them,...but she was so curious...

Carefully, she set the ring on the floor beside her. Then she looked into the box. She found a book in there, a journal to be exact. The journal was brown, with hearts on the front. The ends were a little scourged. "This looks like it got burned," Cailin said.

She pulled it out. It was locked shut. Cailin was very curious about the journal.


	4. Notes

Cailin looked around for a key that may go to the journal. Soon, she found one, buried in the box. Quickly she unlocked it, and opened the pages. There was, the same, neatly done cursive in the journal, that there was on the ring.

The page said,

_'July, 4th._

_This morning, Silly Tarrant came and scared me awake._  
_He came in the bedroom, wearing a mask from the ball last week._  
_I opened my eyes, to see a scary face first thing. I screamed and hit him._  
_He just laughed, of course. But I assured him that I would get even with _  
_sooner or later.' _

Cailin smiled. "This must be Mother's journal..." she said. Then she imagined her father running in with a silly mask on, and scaring a sleeping woman. She giggled at the thought of that. "Seems very much, unlike Father..."

"Read more! Read more!" the mouse said.

Cailin flipped the page and read it.

_'July 5th_

_Yes! I knew I could get even with that scoundrel! This morning, when _  
_he was feeding the horses, I sneaked in the barn. Then with a fake spider,_  
_which I made myself, I draped it over him, right in front of his face. I made_  
_It land on his nose. He screamed like a woman, and jumped up and down._  
_I think that, very well beats him!'_

Cailin laughed very loudly. "Oh, how funny! He was probably ticked off for the rest of the day!"

Then Cailin flipped through many pages. She read,

_'November 17th_

_The days are getting colder. Tarrant is getting all the firewood ready_  
_for the winter. I am trying to make us a warm blanket, but it is getting _  
_harder with the baby getting bigger. It is also hard for me to walk around._  
_ Tarrant never lets me walk, if I am in his presence. He is such a Dear. _  
_I love him.'_

Cailin flipped through many more pages. She was trying to find if there was anything about when _she_ was born.

Sure enough, she got to it.

_'March 5th_

_It was a wonderful day. Our precious child was born. We have_  
_a little girl. Little, Cailin Roanne Hightopp. She is resting in my arms_  
_as I write this. Tarrant is sitting beside me, playing with her little _  
_fingers and talking to her._  
_What a gift we have. I could never be more grateful.'_

Cailin flipped through the pages a little bit more. Soon, the writing stopped, and there were only blank pages. Cailin got tears in her eyes. She knew that the pages were blank, because that was when her mother had died.

She sniffed, and a tear dropped. It fell onto the last written page and smeared some ink. "Oh, no!" she said. she tried to dry it, but it just smeared it more.

But then she noticed, that in another spot on the page, there was another spot of smeared ink. It was not from her tear, because it was dry. She realized it must have happened a long time ago. From no other, then her father. "Poor, Father..." she said quietly.

"Poor father, what?" the mouse said, rudely.

"Poor Father, that his wife died, and now he is alone."

"He's not alone! He has you!" the mouse said, in disbelieve.

Cailin was silent. She sighed. "Yes, I know...but sometimes...it seems like, me being with him, makes him feel worst."

"Why?"

"I don't know...He is never happy. Whenever he actually _does_ smile, it is always a sad, fake one."

"Well, it's not your fault! So he is just going to have to learn how to live with you!" the mouse said, obnoxiously.

Cailin's face fell. "I wonder how Mother _did_ die..."

"You mean he hasn't told you?!" the mouse said, in disbelieve.

"No. He never talks about her."

The mouse dropped her shoulders and rolled her eyes. "Well, someone is going to have to drag him out of this funk! He has to learn that there is more to life then moping around all the time!"

"Oh, hush!" Cailin interrupted.

Then, Cailin spotted a picture frame in the box. She pulled it out. There, she saw, a woman, standing by a large cherry tree, and a baby in the woman's arms. "Oh..." Cailin said dreamily. "This must be Mother..."

She studded the woman, up and down. Then she looked at the child in the woman's arms. She knew that it was herself. "There is so much...that I have missed out on..." Cailin said, sadly.

Then Cailin spotted, on the bottom of the picture frame, engraved words. It read, '_My Little Loves_.' The letters were in her father's hand writing.

After Cailin was done looking at the picture, she set it back into the box carefully. But she wasn't about to stop looking around. As much as she knew that her father would never like that she was poking around in his personal stuff, she just _had_ to find out more. Tarrant his himself so _much_ from her, and she didn't even know what he was really like.

Cailin looked into the box again. She picked up a scourged, ruined top hat. Cailin was curious about the burns on it. It was the second thing that was burned. The journal was burned as well. Then Cailin found some woman's shoes, with burns on them as well. "Why are all these things burned up?" Cailin said.

"Did your mommy die in a fire?" the mouse asked.

Cailin thought for a moment. That would certainly make sense. "I don't know...Maybe..."

"What else is there?" the mouse said, looking into the box.

Cailin looked some more. She found an open envelope. There were many notes inside. Cailin pulled one out.

The note had, once again, the fancy cursive. It read,

_'Tarrant, meat me at the river. Kila.'_

"Oh,...I suppose Kila was my mother's name," Cailin said. Then she pulled out another. It read,

_'Tarrant, my father said that I can marry you! Meat me at the maple tree! Many kisses to you! Love Kila.'_

"They are all love notes from Mother. Before they got married," Cailin said.

"You know, It wasn't right for your daddy to hide all this stuff from you!" the mouse said.

"He was too sad to talk about it," Cailin said, sadly.

"Well, he should at least _try_ to get passed it! He has a daughter, and he needs to treat her like one!"

Cailin was silent. She knew that the mouse was right. Suddenly, Cailin felt insignificant to her father. She felt that he only cared about his wife, and Cailin was always getting in his way.

"It seems to me, like you are pretty mediocre to that mean, ol' father of yours!" the mouse said.

"Well...he does spend time with me...I'm sure he just doesn't like talking about Mother. It's only natural to be sad about something like that..." Cailin said, unsurely.

"Well, I give him no excuse!" The mouse turned and folded her arms.

Just then, there was a knock on the front door. Cailin jumped. "Oh no! It must be Father! I didn't think he would come home this soon!"

Quickly, she put all of the things back into the box, and shoved it under the bed. Then she ran down the steps.

When she was about to open the door, suddenly she felt afraid. "What if that is not Father at the door," she said.

The mouse jumped up onto the window. "Well, is your father tall, with long black hair and a heart eye patch?"

Cailin froze with fear. "N - no..." she said. Then she peeked out the window. She saw the scary man, standing there. He looked angry, when he pounded on the door again.

"Open up!" he called.

Cailin began to tremble. "Oh...What shall I do...?" she whispered with fear. She shivered even more when she saw that the man pulled out his sword. He began to whack the door with it.

Cailin gasped. Quickly, she ran to the back door. She opened it and ran out side. She jumped over the fence and into the forest she fled. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, for she had never been so terrified in her life.

Cailin didn't even know where she was going, if if her destination was safe. But she kept running.


	5. Fear and Wonder

Cailin ran deep into the forest. She kept looking back to see if the man had followed her. Finally, breathless, and exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

For a while, she just lay there. The sun was setting through the trees and the day was getting colder. Cailin wouldn't _dare_ go home though. "_That man was dangerous. He wanted to take me away_," she thought.

Then she began to think of what her father might do, now that she was gone. "Father will be infuriated with me...What will he do? What will he say?"

She looked back towards the path she took to run away. The path that would lead her back home. The path that she had chosen _not_ to take. "Father will never forgive me...I can't make him understand. He wouldn't believe me if I even tried to tell him why I ran away..."

Cailin was very sure of her decisions. She settled up on thinking that Tarrant could never understand, and would never forgive her.

She curled up next to a tree and began to cry. "Now I can never come home... Father has surly come back and discovered me missing! He must be so angry! Especially because he told me not to leave!" she wept.

Cailin just laid there, very tired and sad. She just could not get the thought out of her head, that her father was angry with her. "He wont forgive me..." she said.

She watched as the sun fell. It was getting darker and darker, when suddenly, Cailin fell asleep.

...

Tarrant walked up to the cottage front door. He gocked with fear, and horror at the broken down door. His first thought was, "Cailin..."

He ran into the cottage frantically. "Cailin!" he yelled, looking around evrywhere. He ran up the steps. "Cailin!" he called, as he entered her room. "Cailin, where are you?!"

Tarrant searched the whole house, and then out in the yard. She was no where to be found. Tarrant was stiff with fear. "Cailin..." he whispered, and tears began to fall from his face.

He didn't know what to do. He couldn't know where to look first, which way should he go? Was she captured, was she lost? Or worst...

All at once, these thoughts ran through his head. He ran to a rabbit hole, near the garden. He knocked onto the door frantically. "Mr. Rabbit?!" he yelled.

The rabbit door opened, and the rabbit was holding a candle, with a night gown on. The rabbit was also tired looking and grumpy. "Why are you knocking on my door at this hour?" he said.

"Have you seen my daughter today?! She's missing! She's lost! Did you see where she went?" Tarrant said, in a craze.

The rabbit looked a little more attentively, now. "Your daughter? The little red-haired girl?"

"Yes! That one!"

"Oh, my. I can't say that I have. Sorry Sir. I hope you find her. These lands have gotten awfully dangerous, with the Red Queen ruling, and all."

Tarrant froze at the thought of the Red Queen. He couldn't begine to imagine what would happen if his daughter was held as a prisoner of the Red Queen. "Thank you! I have to go!" Tarrant said with a panic, and he was off to find his daughter.

...

Cailin woke at early dawn. The morning air was cool, but not too cool. Cailin sat up and shook her head a bit to wake up. She looked upon all the cuts and bruises along her arms, from having ran through the brushy woods, the night before.

"Oh, what a strenuous night," Cailin said, rubbing along her bruises. After a few minutes of regrouping, she stood up and streached a little.

Then she scanned the forest around herself. She had _no _idea, where in Underland she could _possibly _be. She had run so far, and didn't recognize anything. After all, she had never come out of her boundaries.

But Cailin knew that she needed to get walking. She didn't know what kind of danger she could be in at this point, standing here. So she began to walk deeper into the forest. The birds were loudly chirping along with the woodpeckers pecking at trees.

All though Cailin was scared, she was still fascinated with the forest. She had never been to a place like this. She had longed to step out of her boundaries, but at the same time, she wondered if she would ever get back home. She also wondered what her father was doing at this point. He must have discovered her missing by now.

Cailin sighed. "Oh, Father...I wonder just how angry he is at me..."

She didn't even want to know. Suddenly, Cailin began to feel very hungry. She didn't know _what _she could eat. What would be lingering around in the forest for her to eat. But Cailin walked on, hoping to find something.

Sure enough, there was a wild apple tree. She climbed it, and picked a nice juicy red apple. She climbed back down and began eating it. Then she ate three more. After she ate the apples, she just sat there next to the tree, wondering what to do next.

She didn't know if she even wanted to go home. She wondered if her father would never forgive her for running away. She thought that he would never understand.

Suddenly, a white rabbit in a waistcoat ran passed. He was mumbling something about...Finding someone. Cailin watched on with much curiosity. She stood up from her spot. "Excuse me, Mr. Rabbit!" she called out, but the rabbit was already out of sight.

Cailin slowly started to follow in the rabbit's path. As she followed for a while, she suddenly, had completely lost him. She had also come to a different forest. One that was colorful, with many large flowers and gigantic mushrooms.

Cailin stood before the forest with amazement. "Oh..." she said. "It's the mushroom forest..." She looked deep into the forest, wondering if she should go in or not. She had heard her father once say that the mushroom forest was dangerous, but to her knowledge, she was pretty much in danger as it was.

So, sure enough, Cailin stepped into the forest. Unsure, of what might happen.


	6. A Cat, a Dream and a Mouse

As Cailin stepped into the mushroom forest, her head wondered all around at the humongous mushrooms. "Wow..." she said, in awe. There were three talking flowers in Cailin's path as well.

Cailin looked at them. She wanted to say 'hello,' but she didn't know if they would be nice to her or not. But she kept looking on, curiously.

Finally, one said, "Do not stare, Girl. It's very impolite!"

Cailin was a little nervous at the flower's behavior. She just kept on staring, not knowing what to do next.

Then another flower snapped. "Will you not stare?!"

"I'm sorry. It's just...I've always been so curious about talking flowers...I've never seen one before," Cailin said, a little nervously.

"Well, were are you from? The Upperlands?" one flower said, in a mocking tone.

"No,... I'm an Underlandian," Cailin said, a little hurt from the flower's rude behavior.

"An Underlandina that doesn't know about talking flowers?! Why, you're no better than the girl that just passed by here!" The flowers all began to laugh.

Cailin looked on, a little curiously. "What girl?" she said.

"An Upperland girl! She had no concept to where she was, or what she was doing! She was just as dim witted as yourself!" Then the flowers looked to one another and began mumbling things to each other. They were gossiping about Cailin.

Cailin heard them whispering, "She's very strange...Look at that dress...I don't much care for her hair color..."

Cailin looked down at her dress. "_What's wrong with my dress...? What's wrong with my hair_...?" she thought, sadly. Suddenly, a tear came from Cailin's eye. It dropped onto a small mushroom that was next to her foot.

Then within seconds, Cailin was crying very uncontrollably. Her face was drenched, as she sobbed and sobbed. She didn't even exactly know why she was crying so much. Her feelings were hurt, but it wasn't like her to cry, way over limits.

However, she was. And she continued crying as she looked to the flowers, and said, "You are rude, and heartless! Maybe, I don't like you're big noses and wrinkles, and...and..." she tried to think of something else to say. "And you're snobby attitudes!" she finished.

Then she ran far off by herself, and sat by a mushroom. She buried her face into her knees, as she continued crying. "Oh, mean flowers!" she said. "How rude they were to me!..." she mumbled.

...

Cailin just sat there for a very long while, just thinking about her situation. She was lost, and she was sad. Suddenly, all she could think about was her father. How she wished that she could just rest in his strong, protective arms. And listen, as his soothing voice whispered encouraging things to her. But most likely, she thought, he would be scolding, and punishing her for leaving the cottage.

And even, how could he ever find her now? What was he even doing now? "Father must be worried sick..." she said.

Suddenly, Cailin heard a voice behind her. "Why so sad?" it said. It was a calm voice, and didn't sound threatening too her. Cailin looked behind herself, but she saw no one there. "Who is it...?" she asked a little unsurely.

Then she saw it. A cat, gray with blue stripes, came and appeared on a branch. Cailin jumped, a little startled. "Who are you?!" she asked, a little nervously.

"Why, my name is Chessur. And you, Dear Girl? What is your name?" the cat said, calmly.

"Cailin is my name," she said.

Chessur looked at Cailin, a little surprised. "Cailin...? As is...Cailin Hightopp?" he asked.

"Well,...yes...How did you know?" Cailin asked, a little unsurely.

Chessur smiled. "Why, Dear Hightopp Girl, you have certainly grown. Last time I saw you, you were an infant."

"How do you know me?"

"I used to know your clan. I once lived in Witzend, you know?"

Cailin looked astonished. "Really?"

"Yes. I was very close friends with your father, in fact. Believe it or not, we used to be friends."

"My father? You know my father?"

"Yes, I do. I must say, I'm a little surprised to see you here, all alone. Ever since the massacre, and Tarrant had no one but you, he's been nothing but a depriving, prejudges, overly protective father. What are you doing so far from your cottage?"

Cailin lowered her head. "Well, you see? I'm not supposed to be here..." she said. Then she sighed sadly. "I ran away from a scary man, that came and knocked on our cottage door. Father wasn't home, and I didn't know what to do. The man started hacking our door with his sword. So then I ran away."

"Hmmmmm..." Chessur said. "Are you trying to find your way home?"

"Not exactly. I wish I were home, but I'm too afraid that Father will be dreadfully angry. He told me to not leave, and I did it anyway."

"Dear, why not just explain to him what happened?"

"Because, I don't think He'll believe me," she said.

"Oh..." Chessur said, in thought.

"I wish I were home. More than anything. I miss Father terribly, and I'm afraid to be all alone. But...I'm even more afraid to face Father..." she said, sadly.

"I see. You may feel differently in the future. I certainly hope you do, as well. I don't think you realize just how much he loves you, Dear. You're all he lives for. You're his daughter, and sadly, you're all he has left...?" The cat finished his sentence, but just as he did, he began to disappear.

Cailin watched on curiously. "Wh- where are you going?" she asked. But before she could finish, he was gone.

Cailin looked all around herself. "Cat..?" she said. "He's gone..." Now she began to feel lonely all over again. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed. "I wan't...Father..." she said, with exhaustion. "Oh, Father...Father...Father..." she repeated.

Her Father's name ran through her mind several times, when suddenly, she fell to sleep.

...

_**Cailin's dream**_

_Cailin found herself in the large mushroom forest. She was wondering about, not knowing what danger would be around the corners she came too._

_Suddenly, through the distantce, Cailin heard her name being called. It sounded like her father's voice._

_"Father?!" she called out._

_"Cailin...?!" he called again, in a breathy voice._

_"Where are you? I'm lost, Father! I'm lost!"_

_"Cailin come back home..! I'm worried for you...!" Cailin heard._

_Cailin tried to follow the voice. Soon, she was in a large opening in the forest. There he was. He ran to her with open arms and swooped her up. "Cailin, you're safe! You're here!" he whispered, into her hair. _

_Cailin hung onto him tightly, with wonderful, gratefulness. "Oh, Father...I've been so scared..."_

_"Why did you leave, Cailin? I told you to stay home. Why haven't you come home?" he asked, in a gentle voice._

_"I ran from a scary man at the cottage door, but I haven't come home because I thought that you would be too mad at me..." she said._

_"Don't feel that way, Dear. You're all I live for. You're my daughter, and you're all I have left."_

_Cailin remembered that the cat had told her the same thing. "Cat was right..." she thought. _

_"Come on, Cailin. Let's go home. I don't want you out here anymore."_

_"All right," she said, softly. But something was strange about him. He was acting very strange. He didn't seam himself. He was so calm, so easy going. Much more than Cailin had thought he would be, but she was glad._

_Just as Tarrant set her down, and they began walking, the wind began blowing. It was blowing very hard, that all the mushrooms started falling down. The sky became very gray, and rain started to pour._

_Cailin was afraid. She turned to embrace her father, but when she turned, he was gone..._

_Cailin started to panic. She looked all around herself. "Father..? Father? Father?!" she said, looking about. "Father, where are you?! Father!" tears started to fall from her face. "Father! Come back! I need you, I'm afraid! Come back!" _

_She fell to the ground, sobbing, as she watched the forest of mushrooms come crashing down._

...

Cailin woke, calling her father's name. She looked around. The forest was still there, and the sky was blue. "Oh," she said, sitting up. "It was just a dream..."

She rubbed her head, as she woke up a little more. "What a bad dream," she said.

Then she stood up. "Oh, Father. I wish I were with you again," she said.

But then, she was starting to feel hungry again. She scanned the forest to find something to eat. A minute later, she realized, "Well, I'm in a forest of mushrooms. Why not eat a mushroom?" she thought.

Cailin knelt down, and picked up a pink mushroom. She bit the head off of the mushroom. Cailin was surprised to find that the mushroom tasted _nothing _like the mushrooms in her garden at home. It tasted more like a strawberry shortcake, in fact. "How, strange. But very yummy," she said.

But suddenly, Cailin began to feel very strange. She started to feel numb on her hands. She looked at her hand. "What's happening?" she said, in a worried voice.

As Cailin's body started to feel very numb, she noticed that the forest was getting bigger. "Oh, no! What's happening?!" The mini mushrooms, that Cailin could have stepped on, were now just as tall as Cailin.

"What's happened?!" she said, in a very worried voice. She wasn't numb anymore, but she felt her arms to be sure of it.

Just then, a mouse walked passed Cailin. Cailin shrieked, for the mouse was her size! The mouse jumped a little, startled from Cailin's scream. "Are you all right?" asked the mouse, a little concerned.

Cailin looked on, not really knowing what to say. "The forest grew!" Cailin finally said.

The mouse looked around. "The forest looks the same to me. I live here. But if I know anything about humans, they are supposed to be much bigger than you," said the mouse.

Cailin looked down at herself. "Have I...shrunken...?"

"You may have. Did you eat any mushrooms?"

"Yes! A pink one!" Cailin said, panicked.

"Hmmm. All the mushrooms here do many things. You may have eaten a shrinking one."

Cailin fell to the ground in despair. "Oh, no!" she said. "I will be stomped on before Father can even find me!"

The mouse came and sat next the her. "Are you lost?" she asked, in a caring tone.

"Yes..." Cailin said, sadly.

"Oh, my...I'm sorry about that."

"Thank you. It's nice to know someone cares. I miss my father terribly," Cailin said, with a tear.

"Well, you should go see Absolem. He's the wisest in all of Underland. He lives in these woods, you know?"

"Can he help me get home?"

"I don't know. I certainly hope so. But just so you know, he's very grumpy sometimes,...in fact...most of the time."

"Oh, dear," Cailin said, dropping her head with a sigh.

"You can give it a try though. He might not be grumpy today."

"Do you think you can take me to him?" Cailin asked, hopefully.

"Well, I suppose I can. I'm not busy right now. Yes, I will take you to him."

"Oh, thank you! You've been so kind!" Cailin said, gratefully.

"My, pleasure. Oh, and by the way, my name is Nina. What's your's?"

"Oh!...Forgive me, my name is Cailin," Cailin said, with a curtsey.

"Cailin? Very nice name," Nina smiled.


	7. A little Fun for Once

Cailin and Nina trudged through the shrubby mushroom forest, once they had finally reached Absolem's dominion. Absolem was surrounded in swirls of smoke, as he smoked his hookah. He looked up slowly from his hookah, once he saw Cailin and Nina.

"Who are you?" Absolem asked.

Cailin was a little shy. She studied Absolem's behavior.

"Oh, my. Another stupid girl," Absolem said.

"I beg your pardon?" Cailin said, in an offended tone.

"Who are you," the caterpillar said again.

"My name is Cailin," she said, quietly.

"And what have you come to me for, Cailin?" Absolem asked.

"I'm lost. I don't know these woods,... and I've shrunk 30 times my size," Cailin struggled a little to say.

"Stupid girl," Absolem said.

Cailin sighed. She knew that she wouldn't be getting much help from him. The mouse sure was right about Absolem being grumpy, and he was rude, at that. "If you would be so kind, Mr. Caterpillar, do you know how I can bring myself back to my normal size?"

"Of course I know how you could get back to your normal size, Stupid Girl," Absolem said, casually.

Cailin looked upon him, expectantly. "Well, can you tell me?"

Absolem sucked in a puff of smoke, and then blew it all out into Cailin's face. Cailin coughed, while pushing the smoke away.

"No," Absolem finally said.

"Well...why not...?" Cailin asked, now beginning to get a touch of exasperation.

"Because, you're going to have to figure things out in life for yourself, Stupid Gilr," Absolem said, while taking in some smoke.

Cailin was angry now. "I'm not stupid!" she yelled. "What is wrong with everyone here?! Many of you people have been very rude to me! The only one that I've passed by, who actually _cared _for helping me, is this little mouse right here!" She pointed to Nina. "There's _no _reason for you to call me 'Stupid Girl!' There's _no _reason to not tell me how to get big again! Well, now you had _better _not tell me how to get big, because I might just come back and _squash _you!"

Absolem was shocked. No one had ever treated him with such disrespect before. He just sat there, stunned. Not knowing what to do or say.

"So is it fun, being so grumpy all the time?! I highly doubt you have any friends!" Cailin said. Then she walked over to the mushroom that he sat on looked at the hookah that he was smoking. "Hmph!" she said, as she walked passed and knocked it over.

The hookah fell off the mushroom, and hit the ground, still releasing smoke from the pipe. Cailin glared at Absolem. "Stupid Caterpillar!" she yelled. "There! How do _you _like being called 'stupid' for no reason?!"

Cailin stomped off, leaving Absolem in great confusion and hurt. No one have ever back sassed _him _before. He was the wisest in _all _of the Mushroom forest. But he had chosen the wrong time to be critical. Cailin was on the verge of tears every second of the day, and she had very little patients for Absolem's behavior.

Cailin sat beside a big mushroom, crying. Nina came and sat beside her. "It's all right, Cailin. We'll find a way to get you big again," she said, soothing Cailin's arm.

"Well...I'm not used to being small! And...and...I miss my father!" Cailin sobbed.

"We'll help you find your father. Don't worry."

Cailin glanced over at Nina. "Thank you," she said, softly.

"For what?"

"For being there for me. No one else has been."

"Aw, well, I'm not one to like being mean," Nina said, blushing a little. "But you do have some feistiness in you, Girl. I could do with some of that," she giggled.

"Oh," Cailin said, with a sigh. "I'm actually, not really that feisty. It's just, I've been having problems lately. I'm usually not that brave."

"Oh," Nina chuckled a little. "Well, I'm sorry for you're situation. But I promise you. We will find your father, and there _is _a way to make you big again. But you should try out being small for once. It can be rather fun, you know?"

"Really?" Cailin said.

"Yes! Do you want to play around a bit? I'll show you some fun things we can do."

Cailin thought for a moment. "Well, I don't see why not. I'm not accomplishing anything, just moping around wishing I were big again, so yes! I will!"

"Great! We'll have such fun!" Nina said, clapping her hands. "Let's have some fun!"

...

Cailin followed Nina over to a very large mushroom. "This is my clubhouse," Nina said. Nina found the entrance, and hopped in. Cailin did as well. There were steps and tunnels everywhere. Cailin gazed upon the clubhouse in awe. "Wow..." she said. "How did you...make this?"

"With my little mousy tools. Mushrooms are soft and spongy. They're very easy to carve into," Nina said.

Cailin walked up the steps. "Where does this lead to?" she called out. Nina came running up the steps after her.

"All the way to the top!" Nina said.

"All the way?! How long did it take you to make this?" Cailin said, with amazement.

"It took me a while. But I have help. I have lots of little friends here."

After a while of climbing, Cailin could finally see the end. There was light at the top, and she was determined to get to it.

Cailin poked her head out of the top of the mushroom, and she could not believe what she saw. From miles away, Cailin could see many mushrooms and many lands. She was outstandingly fascinated. The mushroom forest really was amazing. "Oh...wow..." she said. "It's so...beautiful..."

"Isn't it?" Nina said, climbing atop the mushroom head. Then she sat back and relaxed. "It's the perfect place to watch a sunset."

"Oh, a sunset. That would be beautiful." Cailin gazed out once more. "If only Father were here. He would find this astonishing. It might actually be something to cheer him up."

"What's wrong with your father anyway?" Nina asked.

"Oh,...well...he's just...always so," Cailin sighed. She was fumbling on her words. "I suppose he's always a little glum. My mother died when I was a baby, along with the rest of my clan. He's very bitter from that."

"Oh," said Nina sadly. "I'm sorry about that. So...you've never met your mother?"

Cailin shook her head 'no.' "Never," she said, sadly. "I wish, more than anything, that I have though."

"I'm sorry about that," Nina said.

Cailin smiled at Nina. But she had a tear in her eye. "Thank you," she said.

For a while, the two just sat atop the mushroom head, chatting, and enjoying each other's company. Cailin told Nina more about her life. She told her how her father forbade her to leave her cottage. She told how she had to run away, and she even told about the little hidden treasures she found in her father's personal box.

After a long while, the sun started to set.

"Oh, here comes the sunset," Nina said.

"Oh, good!" Cailin said.

"I love the sunset!" Nina said, bouncing up from her spot. Then she began bouncing up and down on the mushroom head.

Cailin watched Nina bouncing with entertainment. "Wow! Those are really bouncy!" she exclaimed.

"They are, I know. Give it a try," Nina said.

Cailin stood up. "All right," she said, and she began jumping up and down. "Oh!" she laughed with excitement. "Oh, this is fun!"

"I know!" Nina said, doing a little cart wheel. "Ooops!" she said, catching her skirt as she fell. "I have to watch my skirt!" she said.

"I wonder if I can jump to the next mushroom!" Cailin shouted.

"Be careful, Cailin! You might fall!" Nina called, as she saw Cailin jump from one mushroom head to the other. "Oh, well you made it!" Nina called out, and she took off after her.

The two jumped across the mushrooms very far and very fast. They were losing breath from their laughs, when suddenly, the collapsed, still giggling.

They sat up. Cailin fixed up her hair and dress. "You , know? For getting lost and being so afraid this whole journey, it sure did turn out to be fun," she said.

"I'm glad to here that. You looked like you needed a smile on your face," Nina said.

After the two watched the sunset, they climbed back down the mushroom, and back into the forest.

"What are we doing now?" Cailin asked.

"Oh, well..." Nina thought for a moment. "Oh! I know!" Nina ran over to a very large leaf. She broke it from it's steam and grabbed a stick as well. Then she walked it over to a nearby river. "Let's go sailing!" Nina said.

Cailin smiled. "Wow. I never realized what fun it was to be small," she said.

"I told you," Nina said. Then she set the leaf in the water and climbed aboard. "Come on," she beckoned.

Cailin stepped onto the leaf. Nina began to paddle the leaf as a boat. Cailin dipped her hand into the water. She tasted it. "Oh, yum. The water is so fresh and cold!" she said. Then she took a little more.

As the evening was getting darker, the glow bugs were starting to come out. They swarmed around the little river, drifting over. Cailin watched them in amazement. She had never seen glow bugs before. One came and landed on her arm. "Hello," Cailin said, softly.

"Hello," the little glow bug said. "I've never seen you in these woods before. Where have you come from?"

"I come from Snud. Beyond these woods. I've never been here before. It's actually quite lovely here," Cailin said.

"Oh, well enjoy your adventure," the glow bug said, and it flew off.

"Good bye!" Cailin called.

They continued on their way.

"Where are we going?" Cailin asked.

"This stream leads to the Tulgey Wood." Nina said.

"What's the Tulgey Wood like?"

"Well, I suppose you'll see," Nina said.


	8. A Mouse Home

Cailin and Nina sailed through the moon reflected, sparkling river. The crickets were chirping and the frogs were croaking. Cailin was feeling a warm feeling of a little peace for one. She lay back on the leaf, as Nina rowed on and on.

"Are you getting tired?" Nina asked.

"Yes, a little. But I'm too afraid to sleep. I will try not to sleep tonight. Last night, I was so exhausted from running so far away that I just collapsed without even knowing it."

"You can come stay at my hole," Nina offered.

"You're hole? Where is it?"

"It's actually pretty far from here. But we can head back now if you'd like."

"Well, I thought we were going to the Tulgey Wood."

"We don't have to tonight. I'm just used to roaming around at night. I'm a night creature, and I was just giving you a little adventure. But, we can go back to my hole. My family wouldn't mind I'm sure."

"Really?"

"Yes. They like to help anyone in need. You, are obviously in need."

"Well, thank you so much...I...I don't know what to say. You've been so kind, Nina. Thank you, it means a lot."

"My pleasure," Nina said. Then she stopped the leaf from going any farther. She rowed it to shore, and the two got off.

"Follow me," Nina said, gesturing to a direction.

The direction was very dark. Cailin was afraid for what it looked like. "Are...Are you sure?" she asked, unsteadily.

"Don't worry. My mouse eyes can see almost as well as if there were day light," Nina said.

"All right..." Cailin said, still afraid. She walked closely by Nina. Cailin was walking very quietly, and constantly looking about. She was starting to get the chills with fear. "Um...Nina...?" she asked, in a shaky voice.

"Yes?"

"Wh...what do you think is in...this forest?"

"Well...I've not run into too many things. A few times there were gryphons. I'm extra good about hiding though. The gryphons never found me. It's a good thing too. Gryphons like to eat mice."

Cailin gulped. "Well...what about...little girls?"

"I don't know. I don't know much about gryphons. I tend to stay away from them. But, don't worry Cailin. We'll be fine. I live in these woods."

Cailin sighed. "I wish that Underland...wasn't so dangerous..."

"Well, I think you're over labeling it a little. It's not _all _as dangerous as you think."

"How do you know?"

"Well...I suppose I _don't_, but I _do _know that we're almost at my hole, and you will be safe and sound, with warm tea, and a nice bed time snack. I'll even let you borrow one of my night gowns," Nina assured Cailin.

Cailin began to feel just a little bit better. All though she was afraid, it was so warming to her to have someone care for her so dearly.

...

Sure enough, Cailin and Nina were trudging up along the trail of Nina's mouse hole.

"See? I told you we would be all right," Nina said, with a smile, that Cailin could _just _see from the moon light.

Nina came up and knocked on the door. "Ma, Pa! It's me!" she called.

A moment later, the door opened. A tall male mouse, with comfy looking sleep wear was standing in the door way. He was curious when he saw Cailin standing next to Nina. "Nina, who is this?" he asked.

"This is my friend, Cailin. She's lost from her home, and she shrunk to our size! She doesn't have a place to stay. Can she stay with us, Pa?" Nina asked.

The tall mouse gave a look of compassion to Cailin. "Oh, no, Dear one. You're lost?"

"Yes," Cailin said, shyly.

"Well, of course she can stay with us. Please come in," he said, with a welcoming gesture, as he opened the door slightly more.

"Thank you, Sir," Cailin said, gratefully. She was so very grateful. Grateful that this night, she wouldn't have to be in danger. She could be warm, and she could be fed.

As Cailin walked in, she gazed upon the little mouse sized furniture. The kitchen and the dining room. All was very cozy and welcoming. Cailin was even more comforted, when she felt the warmth of the crackling fire that lit the fireplace, in the corner of the living room. She almost felt as if she were home at her own cottage. It was that peaceful to her.

Just then, Nina's mother came out from a different room. She jumped a little in surprise when she spotted a human girl, in her house, and mouse sized at that! "Well, what have we here?!" she said, with a little frenzy.

"This is, Cailin," said, Nina's father. "She's lost from her home, and she's going to stay with us for the night."

"Oh," the mother said, looking a little more relieved.

"She also ate a shrinking mushroom, so she fits in our home," Nina said.

"Oh, dear," Mother mouse said, looking pitifully upon Cailin. "Well, come, Dear. Let's find you somewhere to sleep, and something to wear, and are you hungry? We have many things to eat..." the mother mouse went on, as she took Cailin around the shoulder and led her to the other room.

Nina walked into the kitchen with her father. "I need to make some tea for Cailin, Pa," she said.

"All right, Dear. Do what you need to do. That poor girl must be very stressed in her situation. We should do whatever it takes to give her comfort," he said.

"Thanks, Pa. I was hoping you wouldn't be apposed to this whole thing."

"Oh, no. Of course not. I'm always glad to help someone in need."

"I know," Nina said, as she took the kettle out of the cupboard. Then she filled it with water and set it on the fire.

Moments later, Cailin came walking in with Nina's mother. Cailin was wearing Nina's pink, lacy night gown. "Your mother gave me your night gown to wear for tonight," Cailin said, a little bashfully.

"Oh, Cailin! You look adorable in my night gown! Is it comfortable?" Nina asked.

"Yes, very. Thank you," Cailin said.

Then Nina tended back to the kettle on the fire. "I've just about finished your tea. Then I'll make you some porridge with apples and raisins."

"Thank you very much. I'm quite hungry," Cailin said, gratefully.

Soon, Nina had the tea cups out, and the porridge in the bowls. She set the food and tea on the table, and she and Cailin sat down to eat.

Cailin took a bite of the porridge. "Oh, it's wonderful!" she exclaimed.

"Thank you. I do enjoy cooking. I hope to be as good of a cook as Ma some day," Nina said, while taking a sip of her tea.

Just then, her mother came up behind her and hugged her. "You _are _as good of a cook as me," she said.

Nina smiled back at her mother. "Only because you taught me everything you know," Nina said, in a playful way.

"Well...not everything. Soon, Dear. Soon."

Cailin smiled at the reaction between a mother and her daughter. It was so warm and wonderful, she thought. How nice it was, that Nina's mother taught her so much about cooking. Cailin could tell that they must have a very special relationship. How sweet it was.

"Do you like to cook, Cailin?" Mother mouse asked, braking Cailin from her trance.

"Oh...yes, I do. Sometimes I make tea...but...I actually don't know how to cook much," Cailin said, a little embarrassed.

"Well, why don't you cook with you're mother?"

Cailin smile slowly faded into sadness. She began to feel a little nervous now, as did Nina.

"Oh...well..."Cailin said, quietly. "...My mother died," she finally said. Now she fell into a melancholy silence.

As for Nina's mother, she instantly wanted to take back what topic she had brought up. "Oh..." she said, with a gasp. "I'm so sorry."

Cailin gave her a little smile. "It's all right."

"Well..." the mother mouse said, trying to change the subject. "Would you like some more tea?"

"No thank you, most kindly. This will do for me," Cailin said, politely.

"Oh, well..." Mother Mouse began to straighten out her apron, nervously. "I'll go check on the fire. You Girls enjoy your snack," she said, and left.

Nina watched her mother leave. She felt a little nervous about this whole situation. After her mother left, she looked to Cailin. "Well," she said, trying to find a subject to talk about. "When you're finished, we can go to bed," she managed to make out.

"You're going to bed? I thought that you were a night creature," Cailin said.

"Oh, yes. But I've been running around all day, as if I were a day creature. I'm very tired, and I want to go to bed."

Cailin giggled. "Well, all right then," she said.

...

Not too long after their snack, Nina and Cailin went to settled in bed. They walked into Nina's little bedroom. Nina had a fluffy yellow blanket, with a wood head and foot. She had many stuffed dolls, all lined up agents her pillows. "Are you going to sleep with me in my bed? It will be very warm with the two of us," Nina said.

"Would you mind?" Cailin asked.

"Oh, no! Not at all!" Nina assured her.

"Well, all right then," Cailin said, with a smile, and she slid into bed. Nina came and cuddled in the bed as well. "Are you warm enough," Nina asked.

"Yes, thank you," Cailin smiled.

Just then, Nina's father came in. "Hello, Girls," he said.

"Hello, Pa," Nina said. "Have you come to read the story book?" she asked.

"Yes, Dear. Which one would you like tonight?" he asked.

Nina hopped out of bed, and ran over to her book case. She pulled out a story that she thought both she, and Cailin would enjoy. Then she brought it back to the bed, and handed the book to her father.

The Father picked up the book and read the title. "The Mouse and the Girl," he said, out loud.

Cailin smiled at the title of the story. It seemed very much like her reality.

Then The Father opened the book and read out loud. Cailin and Nina listened to the story with great interest.

After the story was over, Nina's father came and hugged her good night. "Good night, Nina. Sleep tight," he said.

"Okay, Pa. I will," she said.

Suddenly, Cailin began to feel very homesick. When she saw Nina and her father exchanging hugs, she realized, how much, she missed her _own _father.

But then The Father looked at Cailin. "Have a good rest, Cailin," he said.

"Thank you, Sir. I will," she said, politely.

He smiled at both of them, and then quietly left the room. After he was gone, Nina gave a reassuring smile at Cailin. "Don't worry, Cailin. You'll be home soon. And then you're father can give you good night hugs."

Cailin gave Nina a little surprised expression. "How did you know I was thinking about that?"

"I could tell. And besides, why wouldn't you be thinking it?"

"Oh," Cailin looked down a little. "I suppose you're right."

"Don't worry. You'll be with him again before you know it," Nina said, in a cheery tone, trying to bring a little more life to the moment.

"I only hope he's not too mad, of course," Cailin said, sadly.

"Oh, Cailin. Believe me, all he'll be thinking is that he found you. And he'll be so grateful that he did. He wont even _want _to be mad at you."

Cailin gave Nina a look of astonishment. "Wow...you're so smart," she said.

"Oh," Nina laughed a little. "Actually, that's just life experience! If I know anything about fathers, I know that they love their children more then anything in the world, and just go nuts if something goes wrong. That's what they're all like, so I assume your father is the same way," Nina said, with a wink.

Cailin smiled a little. "Yes...I suppose he is," she said.

Nina smiled a little. "So, what things do you like to do with you're father?"

"Well...we like to spend special time together before bed, and we work in the garden sometimes. Octagonally, we'll have tea parties..." Cailin was trying to think of more things to list, but she seemed to have forgotten. Or, she just didn't have much on her list to begin with.

"Oh, that's nice," Nina said, warmly. "What does you're father look like? I'm sure he must be so tall."

"Yes, he is. He has long curly red hair like me. It lays down to his shoulders. He has, a very deep color, of blue eyes, and he always wears a big bow tie around his neck," Cailin said, in thought.

Nina smiled. "Does he look like you?" she asked.

"Well...I suppose he does."

"He sounds very handsome," Nina said.

Cailin smiled, "He _is _handsome," she said. Then she yawned, and her eyes were beginning to twitch.

"Oh, let's go to sleep. You have a big journey ahead of you," Nina said. Then she stood up and turned out the light. Once she cuddled back down, she said, "Good night, Cailin."

"Good night, Nina," Cailin said. Seconds later, she was asleep.


	9. The Tulgey Wood

The morning came. I beam of sunshine came pouring through the mouse hole window of Nina's bedroom. Cailin opened her eyes. She realized that she must have slept very late, because Nina wasn't in the bedroom.

But Cailin was too terribly comfortable to get out of bed at this point. She was so warm and relaxed. So she just lay there for another ten minutes, just looking out the window.

Then she finally managed to make her way out of bed. She stepped onto the floor, and streatched. Then she walked out into the dining room. She could see that the mouse family was getting ready for breakfast.

"Good morning, Cailin. Did you sleep well?" Nina asked.

"Oh, yes. Very well, thank you," Cailin said.

"Well, I hope you're hungry. Because we're having little cheesecakes for breakfast."

"Oh, yummy!" Cailin exclaimed.

"Do you like, strawberries or blueberries?" Nina's mother asked Cailin.

"Both!" Cailin said happily.

Mother mouse chuckled. "All right, then. You can have both," she said. Then she fixed up a plate of a small piece of cheesecake, with blueberries and strawberries on the top. Then she set some milk on the table.

The mouse family and Cailin were all seated and eating.

"Oh, this is delicious! Thank you, Mrs. Mouse," Cailin said.

"You are very welcome," Mother mouse said.

...

After breakfast, the family all had a wonderful time, sitting around the table, telling stories and making jokes. Cailin was having such a wonderful time, that she didn't want to _begin _to think about leaving. But again, at the same time, she knew that she must leave. She had to carry on with her journey to find her father again.

"Well, it's been so very nice of you mice to show me such welcoming, hospitality, but I must be off. I thank you all so much for everything," Cailin said.

The mouse family's faces all fell into sadness.

"Must you leave...now?" Nina asked.

"You can stay an extra day!" Mother mouse said.

"You're always welcome to," Father mouse said.

This was making the leave, just as much harder to do. Cailin would love to stay more, but she also realized that she couldn't. She sighed sadly. "Thank you all. This has been truly one of my most wonderful times. I've never really had any adventures before. This was a very nice adventure too," Cailin said. "But...I think I really need to go," she finished.

"Cailin's right. She should go," Father mouse said, sadly.

Mother mouse jumped form her spot. Quickly, she took a handkerchief and put an apple, a pear, and some berries in it. She tied it up, so that the fruits wouldn't fall out. "Here you are, Dear! Take these on your journey. You'll get aweful hungry," she said, handing it out to Cailin.

Cailin gratefully accepted it. "Thank you, Mrs. Mouse." Then she looked around at the whole mouse family. "Thank you, All. I'll never forget this time in my life."

After Cailin changed back into her own dress, and after hugs and kisses, she left the cozy little mouse home.

Nina took Cailin as far as the little creek that they were on the night before. And just the same, they took a leaf down the stream. Once they had come to a large opening of a pond, Nina stopped the leaf. "Well, this is the Tulgey Wood. I suppose I should leave now," she said, sadly.

Cailin smiled at Nina. Then she gave her a hug. "Good bye, Nina. You've been a better friend then I could ever hope to have. I would have never expected this runaway to turn out to have such lovely moments."

"I'll never forget you, Cailin," Nina said, with a tear.

"I'll never forget you either. And some day, maybe when Underland is free, I'll come back to you."

"So you think we'll see each other again?"

"I'm certainly counting on it," Cailin said, with a smile.

"Maybe I'll meet you're father."

"Yes," Cailin said, but then felt a little sad at the sound of her father's name. "I hope," she said.

"Well, good bye," Nina said.

"Good bye, Nina. Thank you for everything," Cailin said.

They shared one last hug, before Nina darted out of sight. Nina turned, and looked to the Tulgey Wood before her. She sighed, once again, she was filled with great fear.

...

Cailin walked through the glum and misty Tulgey Wood. She jumped, at every creak and sound she heard. Her heart was beating heavily as was her breathing harsh. "I...I wonder...if I'm even on the right trail to Snud," she thought.

She came to a clear opening in the forest. "Hello...?" she called out, in a shaky voice. "Father...?" she called.

There was a sound of a bird calling in the distance. Cailin jumped. "Who's there?!" she yelled.

Suddenly, she felt tears coming to her eyes. "No!" she said, holding onto her eyes. "No more crying! I've been crying too much lately!"

But with as much as she tried, the tears of fear came rolling down her cheeks. She walked on, hugging herslelf with fear as she walked. She was crying and gasping. "Father..? Father...?!" she called out in a teary voice.

After about ten minutes, of calling her father, and walking in the direction of who knows where, Cailin fell silent. "Oh, Father. He'll never find me at this size," she said.

Just suddenly, in the distance, Cailin could see a cottage. For a very short, disparate moment, she thought it was her own. But it didn't take too long to discover that it wasn't.

All thought, that situation, Cailin still wondered if she could get any help from whoever lived there. But with that thought, Cailin instantly backed out. "Oh, no! I can't ask anyone for help! Underland is dangerous! I just happened to get lucky with Nina's family."

Just as Cailin turned, she found that she was headed right for a gigantic boot. She stopped short, with a gasp of fear, only five inches away. Slowly Cailin looked up. She could see, clearly now, she was standing in front of a giant man. Or at least, he was to Cailin at her size. However, he was staring at Cailin, with great curiosity. "He...hello," he said.

Instantly, Cailin let out a blood curtailing scream. She tried to run, but the man picked her up from her shirt. "Wait now, I'm not going to hurt you," he said, but it was the last thing that Cailin heard, before her world went black.


	10. The Story of the Hightopps

Cailin woke up to find that she was staring at a very, _very _large tea cup. She sat up quickly and looked about curiously. It didn't take her a long time to realize that she was inside a kitchen, on top of a counter.

"I must be inside of that man's cottage," she thought.

Just then, Cailin saw the man walking down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Oh!" she gasped. She tried to hide behind the tea cup before the man could see her, but it was too late.

He saw Cailin, and began to walk toward the counter. Cailin jumped to her feet and started running. She jumped behind a cookie jar. But a moment later, the cookie jar lifted up, to reveal the man holding it high so he could see her.

Cailin was beginning to panic. She turned to run, but she tripped on a spoon and fell flat on her face. "Ow!" she cried. Then she felt herself being lifted into the air. The man had picked her up. Cailin screamed. "Put me down! Put me down!" she cried.

"There, there," the man said, cupping her comfortably in his hand. "Calm down, Tiny Girl. No one's going to hurt you," he said, in a gentle voice.

Cailin was still trembling and crying. She didn't trust the man at all. "I...I want to go! Please let me go?!" she trembled.

"Please don't fret. I'll not hurt you, Lass. I'm simply just a simple man. I'm wondering, what are you doing out in these woods all alone. Are you lost? Do you need help?" the man said, warmly.

Cailin studied the man's face. She began to calm down just a little, for he seemed kind hearted and caring. "I...I, I am lost..." she finally said, gaining some trust. "I want to get back to my home in Snud."

"Snud?" the man said, scratching his chin. "Oh, my. I have never been to Snud. It's so dangerous to go anywhere with the Red Queen ruling."

"_Oh_..." Cailin thought. "_He has no love for the Red Queen either_."

"How did you get so small? Did you have a drink of Pishalver?" the man asked.

"No...a shrinking mushroom," Cailin said, quietly.

"What's your name?"

"Cailin Hightopp."

The man looked upon her a little surprised. "Hightopp, you say?"

"Yes. My father is Tarrant Hightopp."

"Hightopp..." the man said, in confusion. "I didn't know there were any left..."

Cailin fell into sadness. "Well...We are the only two," she said.

"So they're not gone..." he whispered. Then he though up his hands in happiness. "Amazing! The hat people still endure Underland!" he said, joyfully.

"Hat people?" Cailin asked.

"Yes, the hat people."

"Why do you call them, 'Hat People?"' Cailin asked, a little confused.

The man looked confused _now_. "Well...they were the amazing hat makers of Underland. They all wore hats. Every single one of them. You don't know?"

Cailin thought for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered seeing a hat in her father's room. The one that was charred and old. "Oh...yes! My father has an old hat! But he never wears it. I didn't know it was a _Hightopp _thing to have a hat. I don't know anything about the Hightiopps at all, in fact. I was only a baby."

"You're father has never told you anything about your clan?" the man asked, a little confused.

"No," Cailin said, quietly.

"Oh..." the man said, now falling into silence.

"Well...how do you know about the Hightopps?" Cailin asked, a little unsurely.

"I've been to there parties before. They were the best for celebrations, dancing and joy. Once the White Queen through a ball at her castle, and the Hightopps came. I went with my daughter to the ball. The Hightopps played their traditional music and danced as well. Ah, they were a righteous clan. Very kind, and very welcoming. Truly an honorable family," the man said, with many memories of the Hightopps.

Cailin fell melancholy. She realized that she had missed out on many events and celebrations. How she wished that she could know what the Hightopps were _truly _like. Her father, himself, was no longer a true, _joyous _Hightopp. He had been scared for life. He would never have a sparkle in his eye, he would never shine a _true _smile again. What a pity, the situation was. "Well...how _was _the clan destroyed...?" she asked, with a deep breath. She had never known how her people were killed, and was she about to find out? Surly this man knew.

The man looked upon her sadly. "Well..." he began. "It was another happy day in Witzend. The Hightopps were having a celebration, as usual, when suddenly, out from the distance, the Jabberwock..." he said, now very emotionally moved, and sad. "The Red Queen set her Jabberwock upon the Hightopp Clan on Horunvendoush Day. The Jabberwock spat purple fire upon the village. It burnt to the ground, along with it's members," he explained, very tragically.

As for Cailin, hearing this story, tears fell from her face. No wonder her father could never talk about it. Now she understood why he was so overly protective, and worried all the time. He had lost...everything. All accept for her, but how? How did _she _survive? How did he survive? All these questions came to her mind.

Cailin began to now, feel very angry. So incredibly angry at the situation, the Jabberwock, but most of all, The Red Queen. She wondered now, would Underland ever be free? Could her father ever be happy again? What was her life awaiting in the future?

"Did..." Cailin began to ask the man, through her tears. "Did you know my father?"

The man shook his head, 'yes.' "I remember Tarrant," he said. "He was a young lad at the time. He was so full of life, so full of happiness. He was very passionate about his clan. And, oh, how he loved..." the man was silent for a moment. He didn't want to cause Cailin any more tears.

But Cailin wasn't _about _to stop asking questions. She just had too many of them. "Who? What?" she asked.

"He loved...your mother..." the man said, quietly.

"You knew my mother too?" Cailin asked, solemnly.

"Yes, I did," he said, quietly. Now he had set Cailin on the counter again, and she drew him her attention.

"She was a beauty," he continued. "She and your father were friends ever since they were children. I remember when the married. Your father was only 16 years old, and your mother was 15. Their love was pure. True as the stars. Kila was a beauty. Her auburn hair, her ivory skin, and her mysterious green eyes. She was a star in your father's eyes. On their wedding, they were so happy that their happiness fill everyone's hearts with some too. Their love was beautiful," said the man, in a trance.

Cailin didn't know what to say. She was lost from words. Her mind was racing with questions, but yet, all she could do was listen. She listened, very carefully as the man told her the story of her family.

After a good long hour, the man filled Cailin in with many stories on the Hightopps. Cailin was fascinated. She had no idea what the family that she had come from was like. She never knew, but now she did. It was bitter sweet for her. "Thank you for telling me about my clan," Cailin told the man.

He smiled at Cailin. "It was a pleasure."

"What is your name, Sir?" Cailin asked.

"My name, is Trompan," he said, with a slight bow.

"Thank you, Mr. Trompan. It was a pleasure to meat you," Cailin said, with a curtsey.

"And it was very lovely to meat you," Trompan said. "When my wife and daughters come home, from picking berries, you can meat them as well."

"Oh," Cailin said, a little surprised. "How many daughter's do you have?"

"four," he said. "I have one daughter now, that is just about your age," he said, with a wink.

"Oh, how lovely!"

"But for the time being, would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"Yes, please. That would be very refreshing," Cailin said, with a little relive.

Trompan put together a tiny portion of food, and a little drink that he put in a small spoon for her. "Sorry, Cailin. This is the best I can find for you to drink out of," he said, setting down the spoon.

"Oh, please. It's just fine," Cailin said, politely. "Thank you for taking care of me," she said.

"Oh, my pleasure. I'm sorry that I frightened you earlier."

"Oh, that's all right," she said, with a little smile. And then suddenly, the cottage door opened. Trompan's family was standing in the door way.


	11. The Sisters

Trompan's wife and daughter's came walking in with their baskets of berries. "Hello, Ladies! Did you have a nice time together?" he asked.

"Yes, quite nice," replied his wife, kissing him.

Trompan's daughters, who were the ages of 17, 14, 10 and 8, each came up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for letting us pick berries, Father," they said, as they kissed him.

Trompan smiled. He watched as the girls had settled in, put all the berries from their baskets to the bowl in the kitchen, and rinsed them.

"Girls?" Trompan said.

"Yes, Father?" they said.

"I have something to show you." Trompan glanced to Cailin, who was still on the counter. "Are you ready to meat them?" he whispered.

Cailin nodded happily. Trompan picked Cailin up into his palms carefully, and walked her over to his daughter's.

"Well, what is it, Father?" the oldest daughter asked.

Trompan held out his hands and Cailin was visible to all the girls. "You see? This is Cailin," he said. "I found her wondering around all alone."

All the girls gasped in awe. "Oh, how cute!" they squealed.

"Oh, my. Isn't she adorable?" the wife said.

"Is it a fairy?!" the littlest asked, pulling onto his hands to get a better look.

"No, Dear," Trompan chuckled, while pulling back his hands. "She is not a fairy. She's a little girl. She actually is not really this small, but she ate a shrinking mushroom, so now she can fit into the palm of my hand."

Instantly, the mob of girls began pulling onto his arms at once. "Can I hold her?! I want a turn! Let me see!" they all said, at the same time.

Cailin started to get scared. She held tightly onto Trompan's thumb for safety.

"Girls, Girls!" he called out, for order. "Be careful! She is not a doll, okay? She is a tiny person."

The girls all stared at their father with a little more discipline now.

"Now," he said. "Let me introduce you all to her." Then Trompan looked to the shaking little girl in his hand. "Cailin," he said. Then he pointed to his oldest daughter. "This is my oldest, Dianna, my second oldest, Pricilla. My third oldest, Isabel and my youngest, Nelly."

All the girls curtsied. "Nice to meat you," they all said, at once.

"It's...nice to meat you too," Cailin said, still a little frightened

"Now, if you girls are _careful_," Trompan said, with discipline, "and if Cailin wants to, I'll let you play with her," he finished.

All the girls looked eager and ready. They looked to Cailin. Trompan looked at her too. "Would you like to play with my daughters?" he asked gently.

"Well...all right," Cailin said, quietly.

"All right, then." Trompan handed Cailin to the eldest daughter.

Dianna cupped Cailin, looking down with endearment. "Aw...so cute! So what's it like to be so small?" she asked.

"Sometimes it can be fun, but other times, very tedious," Cailin said, politely.

Just then, Nelly began to pull onto Dianna's arm. "Let me hold her," she said.

"No, Nelly!" Dianna said, pulling her away. "I'm the oldest."

"But I want to put her in my doll house," Nelly wined.

"Well, how do you know she want's to?" Dianna said, with a smart look.

"Well, I'll ask her."

"Fine then, ask her. Don't just decide that you're doing it without her opinion first," Dianna said, in a bossy tone.

Nelly sighed. "Do you want to go into my doll house, Cailin? It's just your size!" Nelly said. with excitement.

"Well...I suppose," Cailin said.

"Oh, good!" Nelly said, clapping her hands. "Let's go then," she said, reaching out for Cailin again, but Dianna pulled her away, once again.

"No, Nelly. You're not responsible enough. Only Pricilla and I can hold her!" Dianna said.

"Why only you two?!" the younger sisters asked.

"Because, we are the older smarter, more careful ones," Dianna said, and she walked up the steps with her nose up.

"Bossy, mean!" Nelly pouted, as she followed her older sister up the steps.

When the girls had entered the bedroom, Nelly pulled her doll house out from the corner. "Here, Cailin!" Nelly said, with excitement. Then she set it into the light, so that Cailin could see.

Then Dianna set Cailin inside the doll house. All the girls squealed with excitement, once they saw Cailin walk up the steps of the doll house.

"Oh, she's the perfect fit!" Isabel said, with clasped hands.

"Go get into the bed, Cailin!" Nelly said.

"No, go into the kitchen!" called Pricilla.

"No, get into the bath tub," Nelly called.

"Here, put on these doll clothes!" Dianna said, holding out the tiny dress. "And I'll get you the shoes too."

Cailin watched all the sisters, nervously. She didn't like this at all. She was being treated with no respect. Then Cailin realized that it was getting later, and she needed to be on her way. "Um...actually. I have to go now," she said.

"Go? But you just got here," Pricilla said.

"I know, but I'm on a journey to get back home, and hopefully find a way to get back to my normal size. I'll be leaving, but thank you for the entertainment. If you could please set me out side, that would be very helpful," Cailin said.

All the sisters exchanged disappointed glances to one another.

"Oh, you shouldn't go out there," Dianna said.

"You'll be all alone. You need to be here where it's safe. Sorry, Cailin. It's just not a good idea. You'll have to live with us," Isabel said, matter of factly.

"But! I can't live here! I have a father that I want to get back too!" Cailin said, with a touch of anger in her voice.

"Cailin, don't worry. We'll take good care of you," Isabel said.

"That's right," Dianna said.

Cailin realized that she wasn't going to go anywhere arguing with these girls. She was going to have to make her escape at night when they were all asleep. So she waited.

...

Soon, the night fell. All the girls had gotten ready for bed. They were brushing their hair and washing their faces.

Cailin waited patiently, in the doll bed and watched. She watched as each girl had gotten into bed, and the candle was blown out.

Only about 15 minutes later, Cailin could here that all the girls were sound asleep. Now it was time to make her move.

She hopped out of the doll house. Just for safety, she removed her shoes so that her feet would be quiet.

Cailin tiptoed out of the bedroom door, which was left slightly open, in Cailin's luck. Then Cailin ran right over to the steps. She looked down them with disappear. "Oh, my. How am I to do this?" she said.

Then she clung to a step, just dangling from it, and dropped to the next one. "Well, one step down. 13 more to go," she said.

Then she dropped to the next step. "Not, too hard."

Before she knew it, she was half way down the staircase and she hadn't even been hurt yet. "This isn't so bad," she said.

Then she continued on. Now Cailin was at the last step. She clung to it, dangling from it, and dropped. When she dropped, she fell on her knee, and bruised it. "Ow!" she said. "Just when I thought it was perfect!" she said, throwing her skirt with anger. "Hmph!" she said, and walked on.

When Cailin had come to the front door, she realized that she had _no _way to possibly open it. "Now this will be a tricky one," she said, scratching her head.

Then she noticed an open window in the living room. Her face lit up with hope. Cailin ran over to the living room. The couch was too high for her to climb upon, so she would have to use strategy.

Using her brain, Cailin effortly pushed a large boot over to the couch. She jumped upon the boot and climbed up it's laces. Now she had just enough spring to get her to the seat of the couch.

"Ah," she said, fixing her skirt. "Very well done, Cailin," she said, proudly.

The arm of the Victorian couch was just short enough to climb upon, and with a running start, Cailin made it up the camel back of the couch. She was a little scared, considering the high she stood upon, but without looking down, she hopped nicely onto the windowsill.

"Perfect! Just perfect! Cailin, you are a very smart girl, you know?" she said, with a giggle.

Now, coming up to the open window, Cailin peeked down. It was a very far drop. She sighed. "Just when I think I'm victorious, something comes to stop me," she said, annoyed.

But gazing out the window, Cailin noticed a vine that led all the way, up the wall of the cottage and down. That vine certainly did appeal her. With a smile, Cailin grabbed a tight hold of the vine. Then she made her way down until her feet were safe on the ground.

"Now, Cailin." She said. "You are a smart girl."

She put her shoes back on, and began on her way, with the moonlight guiding her path.


	12. The Stranger

Cailin woke, in the Tulgey Wood, on a misty morning. She shook out her head and rubbed her eyes. "Oh," she sighed. "How tedious it was to be treated like a doll yesterday."

Then she stood up. "I much prefer to be on my own," she said, looking about. "I have no means for being treated like a doll."

Cailin began walking a little, trying to find something to eat. "Oh, my. Will there be _anything _for me to eat in this strange forest?" she said, looking around. "I don't much care for going hungry. I must keep my strength up, if I am to get back to my home."

As Cailin walked on, she noticed grape vine wrapped around a tree. "Ah, a grape vine!" she exclaimed. "I love grapes," she said, coming up to the grape vine.

Then with an effort, she began to climb upon the vine. The vine was just perfect for her size to climb on. Once Cailin came to a grape branch, she picked a grape, which was the size of her head, and she seated herself to begine eating.

"Oh, delicious! So juicy! So yummy!" she said, as she enjoyed the grape.

Once Cailin was finished, she stood up on the vine and looked out . Her view was amazing from where she was. She could see very far. "All though the Tulgy Wood is strange, it's very beautiful," she said.

She just stood there for a while, relaxing as she listened to the sounds of the forest, and smelt the air. "Underland is mighty wonderful. That is, if we weren't ruled by the Red Queen," she thought.

But, just then, Cailin realized, "Why haven't I seen any danger yet? Father said that Underland is mighty dangerous, but I don't think that I can really agree with him at this point. I haven't seen any danger."

But just as Cailin said that, she heard a loud _bark sound _throughout the woods. "Oh," she gasped. "What was that?"

She looked all about, when suddenly, she saw it. A blood hound ran very fast through the Tulgey Wood. It ran with an army of red nights behind it. Cailin was still and scared. She watched on, as she studied the red night's armor, spears and crossbows.

Lucky for her, she was so small that no one could see her. So she stayed there, on the grape vine, until the dog and the red nights were out of sight.

The forest was quiet now. No sign of any more danger, or at least it seamed like that. But Cailin still clung to the vine for a while longer to be extra sure.

After a good ten minutes, Cailin finally decided to come back down. She, carefully, quietly, stepped down from the grape vine, onto the ground.

Still afraid, she looked about as she walked, to sure that no one was around. Once she had decided that she was sure of it, she heard a voice behind her. "Are they gone?" it called.

Cailin jumped. "What? Who's there?!" she asked, looking about nervously.

"Me! Over here!" called the voice.

Suddenly, Cailin saw a girl. A blonde girl. She was hiding behind a rock, when suddenly she stepped forth.

Cailin looked a little surprised, for the girl was exactly, the perfect size to match her own. As Cailin stepped closer, she said, "Hello. Who are you?... Where did you come from?"

"My name is Alice," said the girl, with the blonde hair. "And you are?"

"Oh, Alice?...Miss Alice, a pleasure to meat you. My name is, Cailin," Cailin said, trying to sound as polite as she could. Alice seemed to be quite a lady to her child's mind.

"So, I see you've shrank to," Alice giggled.

"Oh, yes..." Cailin said, with a little laugh. "So...what are you doing here? Do you live here?"

"No, in fact I'm quite lost. I'm trying to find my way to Marmoreal, if you know where that is?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't. My Father knows, but you see, I'm lost from him," Cailin said, sadly.

"You're lost too?" Alice asked.

"Yes, unfortunately. My father left me home one day because he had an important meeting with the queen. He didn't want me to come, so I stayed. Then a very scarce stranger came up to our front door. He pounded on it with his sword. So I ran away."

"And you don't know how to get back? Why can't you just retrace your steps?"

"Well, I don't know much about Underland. My father forbade me to ever leave our dominion, due to the evil queen. So I have not idea where I might be." Just then, Cailin looked up at Alice with a hopeful expression. "Do you know where to look? How well do _you _know Underland?"

Alice shook her head sadly. "Nothing, I'm afraid. I have nothing. I've only just arrived here. I don't even know where I am."

"There are other places besides Underland?" Cailin said, in astonishment.

"Yes, of course. The upperland," Alice said.

"Upperland? Quite interesting..." Cailin said.

"So where are you headed then?"

"I'm not sure. I'm trying to find my way home. I just want to get back to my father. That's all I _really _want right now. I miss him."

"I'm sorry. I can imagine what that must be like. When I was your age, I used to look up to my father for everything. He and I were so close to each other. We knew each other so well, and he always knew just _what _to do to help me in hard times. I could never be more grateful to him," Alice said, with a smile.

Cailin smiled too. "Oh...that's nice. I wish that I knew my father better. We actually don't know each other very well."

"Why not?" Alice asked, sadly. She had now seated herself next to Cailin. They were sitting on a stick, which was a log compared to them.

"Because, he's off to himself a lot of the time. My mother died only a little while after I was born, so he's been lonely and sad a lot of the time," Cailin explained.

"Oh..." Alice said, sadly. "I'm sorry about that. But you know, you maybe should try to get to know him better. It would be such a shame to not know your father."

"Well...I'm not so sure. I think it was meant to be this way, so I accept it. But I still want to get home to him."

"Oh, Cailin. I don't think it was _meant _to be that way. I think it became that way over the years. Every person she form a close relationship with their parents."

"Well...maybe not me. It's not that I don't love my father, it's just that...well...we don't really know each other. That's not bad, though. Right?"

Alice was silent for a moment. She didn't want to sound rude, but at the same time, she thought it _was _a bad thing. "Cailin...he's your father. You must know that he loves you, right?"

"Yes...I know," Cailin said, a little unsurely.

"Well, when people love each other, it's always a good thing to know each other very well. If you spend your whole life, not _knowing _your father, where will you make memories?"

Cailin was silent for a moment. She had never thought of it that way.

"Cailin, when you have a close relationship with someone special, you create the most wonderful times with them. Unforgettable memories. I'll always remember the times I spent with _my _father. I'll cherish them forever...especially now...because..." Alice sighed sadly. "I don't have a chance for any more."

Cailin looked at Alice with a little concern. "Why not?" she asked, softly.

"Because, my father died," Alice said, sadly.

Cailin looked almost horrified.

"But, you see," Alice continued. "I had such wonderful times with him, that I can hold many memories of him. I'll never forget him. But had I never made those special times, I would have nothing to remember him by," Alice said, wisely.

Suddenly Cailin was hearing her out. She realized that she _should _be closer to her father. Much closer. But at the same time, she felt a little scared att the thought. "But...Miss Alice. What if _he _doesn't want that? I feel like I just annoy him."

"Cailin, he's your father...Why would you think that he's annoyed with you?"

"It just always seems like it...I mean, I want to still get back to him and all, but...Oh...I don't know..."

Alice looked at Cailin censerly. "Well, maybe you're looking at it the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you said that he feels sad a lot, right?"

"Yes...because of my mother dying...and...well, along with the rest of our clan, in fact," Cailin finished.

Alice gave an expression of pure sympathy. "Really?... You've lost your whole clan?" Alice asked, in a concerned voice.

"Yes...but I know nothing about them. I was only a baby. Father and I were the only survivors."

"Oh..." Alice said, sadly. "That's...terrible..."

Cailin was silent. She didn't really want to talk about it. She began fidgeting a little as she sat.

"So...Cailin," Alice said, feeling Cailin's rejection of the conversation, "you shouldn't feel that your father is annoyed with _you_. He just may not be the happiest of people...because of other reasons," Alice finished.

Cailin lifted her shoulders. "Well, I don't know. But, what ever it is, I just wish that I were back with him. I want to just go home, be safe, and hope that one day, Underland will be free."

"Why _is _Underland so dangerous?" Alice finally asked.

"You don't know?"

Alice gave a blank stare. "No, nothing. I've only just arrived."

"Oh, yes..." Cailin said.

Cailin explained the history of the Red Queen, from as much as she knew. She also told Alice about the White Queen, the death of her clan, the Jabberwocky and much more. Soon Alice was filled in on much information.

"How dreadful..." Alice said. She was deep in thought. "I wish...that there was some way...to save Underland."

"Father says that there is a way. He just doesn't know how."

Suddenly Alice realized that it was getting late. "I should be off. I need to find a white castle. I don't know why...but that was what I've been told."

"The white castle in Marmoreal? The White Queen?"

"Yes...I think that's what it was..."

"Oh, may I go with you? If I can find the White Queen, then I can find my father as well!" Cailin said, in an excited voice.

"Of course you may come! I needed some company after all. But I must assure you, I know nothing about getting to the castle. I'm only _trying_, that is."

"Well, we'll be sure to find it sometime."

Cailin and Alice walked off side by side. Alice smiled down at Cailin. Then she held out her hand to Cailin's and took her's in a clasp. Cailin smiled up at Alice, and they walked on.


	13. Alice the Guardian

Alice and Cailin walked through the brushy forest.

"So..." Cailin said, as she pulled a vine of thorns off her skirt, "Do you know where we are yet?"

"No, Cailin. I'm sorry, you must remember that I know nothing of these lands," Alice said.

"Oh, yes," Cailin laughed, a little tiredly, "how could I forget?"

Alice smiled down at Cailin. "I just hope that those red knights and the blood hound, led me into the right direction. I certainly could use it."

"Oh, yes...red knights?" Cailin asked.

"Before we met, I was being chased be an army of red knights," Alice said.

"Oh, my. What did the want with you?"

"I'm not sure," Alice said.

Just as Cailin and Alice came to an ending of the brushy Tulgey Wood, the land began to get very dry. Cailin knelt down and felt the ground. It was sand. "It's the Red Desert..." Cailin said, as she scanned the area.

There were sand dunes, high winds, and the most ugly clouds in the sky. Cailin shook her head. "I don't like it here at all," she said.

"Do you know where we are?" Alice asked.

"The Red Desert. I don't know much about Underland, but I _do _know that this is _definitely _The Red Desert. Father's told me about this before. It's not the prettiest land at all, and right past it...is Crims..." Cailin said, in a frightened voice. "We are close to Crims!"

"Crims?" Alice asked. "What's Crims?"

"Crims is the Red Queen's kingdom. I've heard _that's _a horrible place too," Cailin said.

"Oh, you have?"

"Yes...I think we should turn around..." Cailin said, in a worried voice.

"All right, then," Alice said, and the two of them turned to leave. But suddenly, a large powerful wind blew right upon the two girls. The wind was heavy agents their tiny bodies. "Oh! Oh, no!" the yelled, with effort, trying to stand up straight, but before anything could be done, the wind picked up the tiny girls and carried them away.

The wind carried Alice and Cailin very far. They rapidly, passed many jagged rocks, cliffs and deserted junk, in the desert, when suddenly, the wind settled, and glided them safely to the ground.

They weren't hurt or harmed, thankfully. But now they were completely lost. They knew not which way to go.

"Oh, my..." Cailin said, in a frightened voice, beginning to panic. "What shall we do?" She was starting to get nervous and wanted to cry, but Alice got a hold of her before it could happen.

"Now, Cailin. Be a brave little girl. We'll find our way out, and we'll definitely be all right," Alice said, reassuringly.

Cailin looked up to Alice with a change of an attitude. There was no doubt that Cailin felt _much _safer with Alice around, then when she was alone. "Do you really think so?" she asked.

"You can count on it," Alice said, with a wink.

"Well...all right, then," Cailin said.

Alice smiled, and then took hold of Cailin's little hand. Then the two of them walked off, into the dissolute dessert.

...

Alice and Cailin had been walking through the Red Desert for nearly an hour. They had trouble keeping up with their own pace, for the wind was so powerful and was constantly lifting the two right off of their feet.

They came upon a large hill. There, they could see many miles. The view of the Red Queen's castle was very visible.

"Oh, my! The Red Queen! We can't go this way!" Cailin said, as she pointed to the red castle.

Alice gazed upon it with great concern. "All right. Let's be off," she said, as she was turning. But sure enough, a large wind picked up the two girls and was leading them right towards Crims. They struggled in the air, but everything was pointless to try. The wind was taking them where it wanted to take them.

The wind carried Alice and Cailin, right passed the Red Queen's moat. They had almost come crashing right into the castle wall, but they had just missed it by only a few seconds. The two came crashing to the ground, right in front of the guard wall of Crims.

The girls stood up and looked about. Alice walked along the stone wall, looking for a way around. When Alice found a very small hole, just large enough to get the tiny girls through, she peaked in to see what was going on.

Alice could clearly see, that a game of croquette was going on inside the court yard. Alice inspected as she watched a few rounds of the game, when suddenly, she saw a very familiar rabbit. "Oh, McTwisp!" she gasped.

Suddenly, Cailin had come up next to Alice. "What are we doing?" she asked.

"Oh, Cailin...The White Rabbit is in the Red Queen's courtyard! It's terrible!"

"What shall we do about it?"

Alice scratched her head. "I'm not so sure." Just then, Alice spotted the dodo bird as well. He was being used for a croquette mallet. Alice squinted her eyes as she watched the Red Queen raise the dodo bird from his feet, and whack the 'ball' hard by the head.

Only now, Alice could see that the 'ball' was no ball. It was a poor little hedgehog, all tied up. It squawked and squealed, as it flew clear across the court yard. "Oh, poor little thing..." Alice said.

Then she stepped up into the hole. She looked back at Cailin. "Cailin, they all need help. You can stay here and wait, but I can't leave them alone. Go under cover, and I'll be back to you soon."

Cailin shook her head rapidly. "No, no, Miss Alice! I'll go with you!"

"But, Cailin, I've already committed to myself, that I'd get you back to your father. I can't loose you in this horrible place."

"Well, I can't loose you! I want to go with you, Miss Alice! Please let me? I wan't to be as brave as you! Please let me go? I'll back you up!" Cailin said, very determined.

Alice looked upon Cailin in a concerned way. Cailin really wanted to help, but she was so young, and somewhere out there, her father was probably wanting, nothing other, then for her to be safe. Alice didn't really know what to do with this.

"Miss Alice, I'll follow your lead with everything! But I can't let you go alone, please?" Cailin pleaded.

"Cailin, you're just a little girl..."

"Well, you're a little girl now, too. _Very _little," Cailin reminded her.

Alice sighed. "I'm sure your father wouldn't want that -"

"But, he's not here to tell me not to!" Cailin said, almost shouting now.

Alice realized that whichever way she put it, it may not be particularly safe. She couldn't know that leaving Cailin out here by the moat was safe either, and there was really no way across it. "Well..." Alice said, hesitantly, "all right. But you have to follow my lead, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Cailin said, eagerly.

"All right. Let's go," Alice said. Then the two stepped into the hole, and fell right into the court yard, unnoticed by the Red Queen.

For a few moments, the two just watched, as the Red Queen shouted out orders. Then they made their way up behind a very large rose bush.

Suddenly, a hedgehog was shot clear behind the rose bush. Alice ran over to the hedgehog and began un-tying its hands and feet to free it.

Once the hedgehog was free, it ran off. Alice turned to find that now, she was standing in front of a very, _very _large white rabbit, who was looking upon her with great curiosity.

"Oh, McTwisp!" Alice said, with joy to see her friend.

"Alice...My Dear...Why are you here?" the rabbit asked, very confused.

"I couldn't find my way to Marmoreal," Alice said.

"Oh...dear. Well, I'm afraid that you couldn't be any more in the wrong place then right here, Alice."

"I know. I'm actually here to save you...but...once problem. I'm smaller then that hedgehog that I've just freed," Alice said.

"Oh, yes. That is a problem..." said McTwisp, while her rummaged through his clothes. Suddenly he was holding out a small piece of cake. "This will help," he said, giving it to her.

"Oh, thank you, McTwisp!" Alice said, and she took a very large bite. Only a few seconds later, Alice was towering over the entire court yard. "Now, I find this, much more efficient for rescuing," she said.

"What is this?!" Alice suddenly heard a very loud, very rude voice. She shot her look over, and now she was looking right at the Red Queen.

Alice didn't know what to say. She certainly didn't want her whole plan to be over right now, before she had even done anything.

"What is this?!" the queen repeated, in a more obnoxious voice this time.

Alice looked blankly. "Um..." was all she could say. "Um..."

"Um?!" the queen said. "Your name is _Um_?"

"Um...yes! Um is my name! I come from Umbradge. But I've been so out of place in Umbradge, for I tower over everyone. So I've come to you hoping you might understand me..." Alice said, a little nervously, hoping very greatly, that the queen would buy her little play.

Alice watched, as the queen studied her up and down. Then suddenly, the queen let out a laugh of happiness. "Oh, Um! You are so welcome to my court! Please join us! I think you are, personally, my new favorite!" The queen flashed a smile at Alice.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Alice said, with a curtsey. "I am most grateful."

"Come! Play some croquette with me, and then, we shall go to my throne. I have some business to discuss!" the queen said, turning back to her court people, and walking in another direction.

"Oh, that was close," Alice said, to herself. Then suddenly, she realized that she was missing someone. She let out a breath of shock. "Cailin...!" she whispered.

Then she crouched down to the ground, as close as she could get. She tried very hard to not move, so as not to crush Cailin, wherever she may be. "Cailin...Cailin?" she said quietly.

Alice was relived to find that Cailin was running along side the rose bush, right in her direction. "I'm, here! I'm here!" she called.

Alice smiled happily, as she held out her hands to Cailin. Cailin was, now, only a few inches tall, compared to Alice, and fit perfectly into Alice's hand.

Alice picked Cailin up and cupped her safely. "Sit tight, Cailin. I'm in a play at the moment," Alice said, and she set Cailin inside of her glove. Cailin was tight and secure in Alice's glove. She just settled in the palm of Alice's hand.


	14. The Court Room

Alice was seated on a bench beside the Red Queen. "It's so nice to have your company, Um," the queen said.

"Thank you, Your Highness. As it is yours," Alice said, politely.

Cailin just barely creped, ever so slightly poking her head out of Alice's glove so as to see what may be going on. Alice spotted her, and instantly covered the little red head that popped out of her glove. "Shhhh..." she said, very quietly.

Cailin ducked down, resting in Alice's palm. But she lay in such a way, that she could slightly see out.

Suddenly, Cailin saw a very tall man come in. "Oh!" she gasped, as she recognized the eye patch shaped like a heart, and the long scar across his face. "It's him..." Cailin thought.

She watched as the man came beside the queen, and placed a kiss on her hand.

"Oh, Stayne," the queen said, in a flirting voice. Then she flashed a smile upon him.

"Your Majesty," he said.

Alice glanced over at Stayne. Once Stayne got one look at her, he instantly drew her his attention. "Oh..." he said, in an anxious tone. "Who is this lovely creature...?" he asked the queen.

The queen gave Stayne a straight stare. "It's Um. She's my new favorite," she said, a little sternly.

"What's her name?" he asked, romantically.

"Quite fooling! I said her name is Um!" the queen spat.

"I believe your name, has slipped the queen's mind..." Stayne told Alice.

"Her name is Um, Idiot!" The queen, whacked her scepter clean across Stayne's face. Stayne grunted in pain, while holding his face.

"Straighten up!" the queen yelled.

Stayne began to pull himself together. As he straightened back up, teeth clenched with anger, he looked at the queen. She glared right into his eye for a moment. Then turning away, changing the subject, she said, "Any luck with the prisoner?!"

Stayne didn't answer at first, he just looked on, as if he didn't know what was going on.

"You Ass! I asked you a question! Answer me!" she whacked him again, and this time, right in the stomach. Stayne doubled over, gasping for breath.

"I repeat! Any luck with the prisoner?!" Red Queen screamed.

Stayne, still out of breath, managed to pulled himself together and look her in the eyes. "He," Stayne began to say in an angry voice, but then calmed so as not to get hit again, "is stubborn," he finished.

"Or, your just too soft, you Ninny!" the queen hissed. "Bring him before me!"

Stayne left the room to go get the prisoner. Once he left the room, Red Queen looked up at Alice, who was very un-nerved from the past crises. Red Queen smiled up at Alice. "He's a sweetheart. He's _my _sweetheart," she giggled, in a bubbly way.

"I...can most see that..." Alice said, trying to hide a shocked voice.

About ten minutes later, Stayne came back into the court. He had six guards with him, along with the prisoner.

Cailin peeked out of Alice's glove. When she caught sight of who the prisoner was, she gasped with horror. "Father..." she whispered.

His head was dropped, but Cailin could still catch the melancholy sadness and anger on his face. His long red hair was ratted along with his clothes. Cailin could see that he had been beaten as well. His face was bruised and he looked unwell.

"Oh, Father..." she whispered. "This was all my fault..."

Tarrant knelt on the first step to the throne. He didn't look up.

"Hello, Child of the Hightopp Clan. One who just _happened _to survive, along with rescuing my dreadful sister! Oh, how is she, by the way? I just so happened to know that _you_, had a meeting with her discussing the return of Alice! Oh, and speaking of Alice..." the queen tapped her finger. "Where is she?"

Tarrant's eyes wandered a bit, all though he didn't answer. Just when he was about to say that he didn't know, his eyes caught sight of Alice, sitting right next to the queen. He tried to hide his shocked face when he saw her, but the stare endured.

"What are you doing?!" the queen screeched. "Tell me where she is!"

Tarrant dragged his shocked face away from Alice to meat the queen's eyes. "She hasn't returned," he said.

"Oh, you sappy liar! This is fun, Tarrant. It really rather amusing, I could do it all day long. But sorry to tell you that our little play has to end here. I have business to take care of, so just cooperate with me, and you won't be hurt. I ask you again, where is Alice?!"

Tarrant stared at her, with no expression. Stayne smirked at him. "He's not going to tell, Your Highne -"

"Shut up!" Red Queen screamed at Stayne.

Stayne's smile instantly fell and his normal, serious face returned. As for Red Queen, she brought all her focus back to Tarrant. "It's rather upsetting to me, to see that my Jabber-Baby-Wocky has left the Hightopp Clan enduring! It just pains me that Hightopp blood still lingers the realms of Underland. Should I extinct them right now?"

"I will say nothing," Tarrant said, boldly.

"Oh, my," the queen cooed. "Tarrant, your just too cute! So passionate for what you stand for. Oh, and I just forgot! I've been wondering, Tarrant, where is..._daughter_?"

Tarrant's eyes opened wider now, and his heart started racing. His face could not hide his fear, when he aimed his glance right toward the queen.

"Ah, now that's better!" said the queen, triumphantly. "How's she been lately? Or - ...oh, my, Tarrant. Has she gone missing?" the queen said, in a gloating voice.

Tarrant's was beginning to get angry now. He was heavily breathing and his fists were clenched.

"Oh, no, Tarrant. Please don't get angry. I can assure you, she will be safe...under one circumstance..."

Tarrant jumped from his knees. "Where is she?!" he growled.

"Tarrant, Tarrant. Calm down. She's quite all right...that is if you will only tell where Alice is," the queen said, lifting her eyebrows to him.

Cailin was beginning to panic. She wanted to run out and scream, "No, she's lying! I'm right here!" but Alice kept her staying safely inside the glove.

"If you _dare _hurt my daughter, I'll kill you! I'll break your skinny little neck with my bare hands!" Tarrant spat.

Just as he was about to lunge at the queen, the guards grabbed hold of each of his arms and held him tightly. He struggled quite a bit, but couldn't compare.

"Tarrant, my boy. You're running out of time! Where's Alice? Tell me, and you're daughter is saved."

Tarrant was still, with a blank stare. His eyes hesitantly met Alice for a few short seconds, and then the queen again. His mind was racing and he didn't know what to do.

The queen kept her stony look towards Tarrant. "My patience is running thin, and I'm getting an awful head ache staring at the flamed, Hightopp head of yours. So just answer my simple question. Alice?!" she yelled, tapping her foot impatiently.

Tarrant was still looking with a motionless stare. Then he slightly looked to Alice. Alice tensed up. Was he going to tell?

There was a long silence, when finally, Tarrant opened his mouth and spoke. "Uh - Alice is..." he said, in a broken up sentence. Alice took a deep breath in, as she was waiting for him to continue.

"Yes? Alice _is_?" the queen said, harshly.

"She is...! I-in - in - the...the...Iplam!...She's in Iplam!" Tarrant finished.

Alice let her breath go. He hadn't told. Now it was just a matter of the queen falling for it or not.

"Iplam, you say?! How do you know?!" the queen yelled.

"Because...that's where...the queen said she would be..." Tarrant said, as convincing as he possibly could be.

Red Queen shot a look at Stayne. "Take your armies and search Iplam! Bring that Hightopp back to the dungeon! Don't kill him though...yet! I may still need him!"

Stayne and the Red Guards took Tarrant out of the court room. Red Queen scratched the arm of her chair with her long nail, as she looked to Alice. "Iplam, he says? We'll see, Um. We'll see," Red Queen ended, with an evil smile.


	15. Reunited

After a long torturous afternoon of Alice playing another croquette game with the Red Queen, while listening to her complain, gossip and criticize things, Alice was finally dismissed from the Red Queen. She was told to be free of going anywhere in the castle or courtyards. As long as she was Red Queen's pet, she could have whatever she wanted.

After the Red Queen left, Alice was left alone, in the rose garden. She pulled Cailin out of her glove. Cailin was glad to get some fresh air.

"Are you all right there, Cailin?" Alice asked, in a soft voice.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Alice," Cailin said, as she set her atop of a rose.

"You'll smell like roses," Alice said, with a smile.

Cailin tried to smile, but she could not stop thinking about her father, who she had seen earlier. "Miss, Alice?"

"Hmmm?"

"The man in the court room today," Cailin began.

"Yes, I've been thinking a lot about him today. We need to find a way to free him."

"_He's _my father," Cailin said.

Alice gave a little surprised look. "Really? Oh, my..."

"Yes, do you think we can see him? Can we go to the dungeon? You are aloud to go anywhere you please in the castle now."

"Oh, yes. In fact I have been thinking of that. I'm just wondering, how I can conjure up a plan to free all of our friends."

"Well, it helps that the queen likes you so much."

"Yes, we have that in our favor."

"Miss, Alice? What if they want to...kill Father? Can we try to free him now? Is there anything we can do?" Cailin was trying to fight back tears.

"I'm not sure, Cailin. I'll try to do whatever I can."

"Do you think we can see him now?"

"Yes, of course. Let's go right now," Alice said, and she scooped up Cailin once more.

...

In the dark cold dungeon, Alice walked slowly and quietly so as not to be noticed. She was as swift and quiet as a mouse, all though she was the size of a bandersnatch.

Alice peeked into each cell, as she passed by. She was seeing many poor creatures being held prisoners, surely for no reason at all.

And then came the time that she walked up to the cell that Tarrant was in. He was chained by the ankles laying, with his back, agents the brick wall. He was solemn and silent. He didn't hear Alice approach him.

"...Sir?" Alice said.

Tarrant jolted, a little startled and sat straight up, looking at her. "Oh...Alice?" he whispered, so that no one could hear.

Alice nodded her head. "I am," she whispered back.

Tarrant's face lit up. "I knew it! I did!" he said, in a whispering voice. "You've come to save Underland?"

"Well...that is what everyone keeps talking about. All though, I _didn't _know of this," Alice explained.

"Do you know how to get to the Vorpal Sword?"

"No, Sir."

"You'll need it. It's hidden in the castle somewhere, and you must take it to the White Queen."

"So, I've been told."

"Ask the rabbit, McTwisp. He'll help you. He knows where to look."

"Thank you, Sir. And also, thank you for not giving me away to the queen. I don't know what I would have done, however, I have something of yours," Alice said, with a smile.

Tarrant looked a little confused for a moment. "What..?"

Alice scanned down the halls once more, to be sure that no one had come. Then she pulled Cailin out from her glove and cupped her gently in her hands. "Here," she said, holding out Cailin. "I believe this belongs to you."

Tarrant got one look at Cailin. He gasped, and he couldn't believe what he'd seen. "Cailin...?" he said, still shocked.

Cailin was smiling with overbearing joy. "Yes, it's me, Father!" she said.

He was still wide eyed, with shock _and _gratefulness at the same time. "Is it...really you?"

"Yes, Father! I'm just a little smaller now, that's all. But it's me," Cailin assured him.

Tarrant's shocked face faded into an unbelievably happy smile. "Oh, my girl!" he said, and he carefully held her agents his gigantic shoulder, as he gently as he could, hugged her with one hand.

Cailin rested agents his shoulder, and for once, she felt at piece. She felt safe. All though she was in the most horrid place in all of Underland, and her father was in jail, she was in jail, she still felt safe because she was with him. He would protect her, he would do anything to save her, he loved her.

Cailin knew that he wasn't angry either. Just like all the little acquaintances she had made along the way, had told her. And she listened, as she heard her father's soothing voice say, "My Dear, oh, My Dear, I am so sorry. I'll never _ever_, leave you alone again."

Cailin just rested, as she felt her father's warmth and protection comfort her. She sighed gratefully. "I love you, Father," she said.

He smiled, and he placed a very soft, gentle kiss upon the top of her tiny head. Alice watched on as the two communed with one another. She felt a little out of place, to be honest. So she stood up, and said, "Well, I suppose I'll be off."

Tarrant looked up at Alice. "Wait!" he said.

Alice turned to face him, "Yes?"

"Thank you so much for taking care of her, and bringing her back to me," Tarrant said, graciously.

Alice smiled. "The pleasure was mine," she said.

Tarrant gave her one more smile, before he drew his attention back to his tiny daughter. Alice walked out of the dungeons.

Tarrant sat back, and held Cailin in one hand. She lay comfortably in it.

"My Girl, how did you get so small?" Tarrant asked.

"A shrinking mushroom in the mushroom forest. I was so hungry that I ate it, not knowing that it would do that."

"Well, the White Queen can help you with that. She can bring you back to the normal size."

"Father, do you think that we'll ever come out of here? Will we see the White Queen?"

"I think so, Darling. Because, you know the girl who brought you to me, Alice? She is prophesied to bring piece to Underland. She will kill the Jabberwock, and the Red Queen will be banished, along with her followers."

Cailin smiled at the thought of that. "Father? What will we do then?"

Tarrant smiled. "All of Underland can rest, and be at peace forever."

"Well, I hope we will win," Cailin said, softly.

"Yes, Dear...I do as well. But I have faith. We have been abused Underlandians for far too long. It's time that we can rest at peace. And Alice, she will. I trust that she will save us all."

"I like Alice. She's very smart, very kind and so...brave," Cailin said.

"Is she now? Well, I can see that," Tarrant said, with a chuckle. Then he cuddled his tiny daughter up to his chest and let her rest with him, for once.


End file.
